


LostDT!Tale: The Stories on the Side (Sidestories)

by KenzieLovesGingerAle



Series: LostDT!Tale [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other, Spoilers - Undertale Pacifist Route, it'll be fun, possible minor gore but I will mention it in the notes, sidestories because yes, spoilers for lostdt!tale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:44:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7997377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KenzieLovesGingerAle/pseuds/KenzieLovesGingerAle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sidestories for my Undertale AU, Lost Determination, aka LostDT!Tale. We'll have some fluff, some back stories, or some things that just provide more depth for these characters of mine.</p><p>There will most definitely be spoilers for the story in the future, but I'll avoid those until the entire book is out, and I'll mark chapter names and summaries so you'll know!<br/>But you have been warned!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Explanation/WARNING; SPOILERS

Hiya! This book will have many fun/goofy adventures with all of your favorite characters from LostDT!Tale, but it will also contain a lot of SPOILERS!!! Don't read this if you haven't finished reading LostDT!Tale or seen/played the True Pacifist Route in Undertale!

Side Stories may include things such as;  
+Melissa attempting to teach Apollo how to cook (oh dear)  
+Chara's Amazing Misadventures (feat. Asriel)  
+Kennedy's Home Movies  
+Shopping  
+Apollo X Albert Awkwardness   
+Magical Mishaps (yikes)  
+Minor AUs that feature Jake and Frisk being alive and not dead (woohoo)

Back Stories may include things such as;  
+Kennedy's and Jake's childhood on the street  
+Apollo getting adopted  
+Chara getting adopted  
+How Apollo lost his eye  
+How Chara and Apollo first met  
+Frisk's Magical Misadventures (with humans!)  
+Apollo's first boyfriend  
+How Albert and Apollo first met  
+How Apollo and Margaret first met  
+Margaret meets a monster

I don't know what I'll start with, but I'll update this as often as possible!


	2. How Apollo and Chara First Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As far as Kennedy knows, Apollo and Chara met a week after she adopted Chara.  
> But that's not entirely true...  
> Chara was adopted when they were six years old, but they met Apollo when they were four years old.

Chara was hiding in MarshLily. They didn't want their parents to find them. They would hurt their arms more than ever, and Chara's arms were still scabbed over from last time. But they couldn't live with them anymore. Their parents didn't care about them at all anymore, it was time to leave. If they stayed, it would be worse for them in the long run.

They were in a bush, tears streaming down their face. There was no going back now. They were all alone. They had no choice but to rough it out and try to survive all on their own. They had to find their own food, their own clothes, their own water... everything.

Chara's stomach growled, and they eyed some neon blue berries growing in the bush. They reached for them, picking a few. They hesitated before deciding to try one.

They gasped in horror as they were yanked out of the bush by two very strong hands that had lifted them out by their underarms. A man looked very seriously at Chara, his armor glistening with water as it dripped from the metal, showing that he had run through the nearest stream to grab Chara.

Chara began to tremble and whimper. They had already been caught by a member of the Royal Guard.

"Hey, you didn't eat any of those berries, did you?", the guard asked, and Chara swiftly shook their head. "Are you telling me the truth? You aren't in trouble if you did, but those berries are very poisonous, they can be deadly. I really need to know if you ate any, okay?", the guard said, and Chara shook their head again. "I... I didn't. I wanted to because I'm hungry...", Chara explained, and the guard seemed to relax. "Okay, good. Here, I have something healthy for you to eat.", the guard set Chara down outside of the bush, and he pulled out a bag of cooked popcorn. "Here, have some. Make sure you chew it really good, okay? I also have something to drink.", the guard offered, and Chara ate some of the popcorn. 

It was dry, salty, buttery, and crunchy. Chara liked it, it was better than most of the food their parents had given them. "It's really good.", Chara stated, and the guard smiled. "I'm glad. Here, have some water to wash it down. I know it's pretty dry.", he chuckled as he unscrewed the bottle of water, and Chara drank from the bottle, drinking as much as they could. They were really thirsty. "There you go! Now, where are your parents?", the guard asked, and Chara flinched.

"I-In Hope...", they mumbled, and the guard frowned. "Then... why are you here by yourself?", he inquired, and Chara couldn't think of what to say. "I-I-I-I...", they stammered, and the guard sighed. "It's alright.", he took Chara's hand, walking with them. "We'll just take you back to Hope and find your parents, okay?", he said, and Chara froze. "Uh, kid? Are you okay?", the guard asked, and Chara began to frantically pull away from where the guard had been trying to take them. "Woah, kid, chill out! I'm trying to take you home!", the guard said, but Chara just struggled even more.

"NO!" they exclaimed, and the guard huffed, picking Chara up in his arms bridal style. "C'mon, kid.", he urged, but Chara just kicked and flailed. "NO! I CAN'T GO BACK! I CAN'T! PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME BACK!", Chara begged, and they just went limp in the guard's arms as they sobbed. The guard stopped, looking at them. "Kid, why don't you want to go home?", he asked, and he set them on the ground, letting them sit down in front of him as he kneeled in front of them. "Don't you want to see your parents?", he inquired, and Chara shook their head, lifting up their shirt sleeve, making the guard freeze.

There were several scars and cuts on the child's shoulders and upper arm. Some were somewhat fresh, having recently scabbed over.

"They'll hurt me more than ever if I go home after this. I ran away because they don't love me. They hurt me real bad.", Chara explained, and they put their sleeve back down. The guard seemed very solemn. He took a deep breath. "Alright, kid. I won't take you back, okay? I won't even tell anyone, okay? But look, you need to learn how to take care of yourself now, okay?", the guard said, and Chara nodded. The guard pulled out a book from his bag, giving it to Chara. "This is a survival guide. Don't lose it. I'm required to have it on me at all times, but I can always get a new one. See here? These are the plants in the area that you can and can't eat. And here's where you can find fresh water. To find other food and clothes, look in the dump. That's down this path here and take the first left in the quiet clearing. Alex lives there, don't mess with his dummy, and he'll be a pal to kids like you. He'll show you where to find the best junk. Margaret owns a shop in that cave there, she's really nice. If you ever need a place to hide from your parents or anything else, go in there and tell her that Apollo sent you. That's my name, okay?", Apollo asked, and Chara nodded.

"Okay, and to get to IceBerg, there's a little bird at the path directly across from this one in the quiet area. It'll carry you over that gap, and you can continue in that general direction to reach IceBerg town. It's pretty cold there, but as long as you get inside pretty quick, you'll be alright. There's a lot of nice people there, as well as more guards. If they ask you where your parents are, tell them you don't have any and tell them that you met me. I'm their boss, they have to listen to me. If anyone gives you any trouble, ask for help. I'm the only guard in MarshLily, as I'm the Captain. In the quiet area to the left of this path when you enter, there are three paths. My house is at the one closest to the bird's path. If you ever feel scared, just knock. I'll be there to support you. I know what it feels like to need to hide. If I'm not there, hide in Margaret's shop. She won't mind.", Apollo said, and Chara nodded.

"Okay, I have to get back to work, but here.", Apollo took some survival rope and tied it around Chara's waist, attaching his small water canteen and a small bag to it, tucking the survival guide inside. He also put a small satchel of money in the bag. "That's 100 dollars. You should only spend that when you need it, okay? Use it sparingly.", Apollo hugged Chara, and they paused before hugging him back, crying into his shoulder.

"My name is Chara.", they said, and Apollo chuckled. "Nice to meet you. Now, go find somewhere to stay tonight. That food and water should last you for a little bit, okay? You're gonna do great, Chara. I believe in you. Good luck.", Apollo patted Chara's head before putting his helmet on and walking off. Chara pulled out the survival guide, looking at the pages labeled, 'Shelter'.

It was a good thing they taught themselves how to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Some may call it destiny, I just call it love at first sight. Platonic love, that is." -Apollo
> 
> To explain, Chara wants nothing to do with their parents, so they don't try to seek justice so that they can put their "past life" behind them.


	3. Apollo and the Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Apollo was younger, he was no where near as brave as he is now...  
> This little story takes place nineteen years before the events of LostDT!Tale, when Apollo was merely seven years old, not too long after he was adopted by Kennedy.

Kennedy was stitching together another new shirt for her newest adopted child, Apollo. She had adopted him just two weeks ago, and she already loved him more than she loved herself. He was just a little boy, about seven-years-old, and he was rather sickly and frail for his age. Or any age. Kennedy was already giving him vitamins and medicine and keeping him home from school since the doctor ordered her to do as such until he was well. Fortunately, that shouldn't take too long. He was already starting to gain weight, which was good, as he was rather thin, and his voice was becoming less raspy. His nose had stopped running as well!

Margaret looked over at her mother. "So, he's still caught up with school work, right? Ah don't want him ta fall behind.", Margaret said, and Kennedy nodded. "I am making sure he is doing his work. Though, he seems fairly eager to do it without my reminding him, which is a good sign.", Kennedy pointed out.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'THUMP' from Apollo's bedroom, accompanied by a high-pitched screech. 

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!! MOMMA! MOMMA!!! MOMMYYYYYY!!!!", Apollo screamed, and Kennedy immediately put aside her sewing to run to Apollo's aid. Apollo met her halfway in the hallway, sobbing and whimpering into her side as he hugged her leg. Kennedy knelt down to his level and hugged him close, running her fingers through his short hair. "Apollo, my child, what is wrong?", she inquired, and Apollo gasped before practically trying to climb his mother as he pointed a shaking finger at the floor a few feet away.

"I-I-IT'S A SPIDER-ER-ERRRRR!!!", Apollo wailed, and Kennedy crooned as she picked Apollo up, allowing him to wrap his arms around her shoulders and his legs around her waist. "Oh, Apollo... There is nothing to be afraid of! Here, calm down, I shall show you.", Kennedy set Apollo down on the ground, and he stood up. 

She walked over to the little spider on the floor, holding out her index finger for the arachnid. It crawled onto her finger, and Kennedy held out her finger to show Apollo. "It is but a harmless Jumping Spider, my child. It will not hurt you unless you are a bug much smaller than it. Come closer, it will not bite.", Kennedy encouraged, and Apollo took a few tentative steps over to her, staring at the spider. "See? Harmless. Say 'hi!'", Kennedy urged, and Apollo gulped nervously. "H-Hi...", he waved shyly at the spider, and it crawled a centimeter further onto Kennedy's hand, farther away from Apollo.

Apollo let out a scream that would cause dogs on the surface pain, and he ran all the way into the kitchen in fright.

Kennedy watched as the spider simply dropped off of her finger and onto the floor, where it curled up and died. Kennedy sighed. "Apollo! It is dead!", she called, but Apollo just continued to scream, whine, and shudder as he cried, running around the house. Margaret laughed loudly as Kennedy sighed in mild frustration. "Apollo, calm down! It is very much dead! I-APOLLO!", Kennedy boomed, and Apollo continued to scream. Kennedy began to march over to her child, and he ran from her, terrified, as he thought she still had the spider with her. "APOLLO, IT IS DEAD, YOU KILLED IT WITH YOUR SCREAMING! CALM DOWN!", Kennedy roared, but Apollo continued to run about, whimpering and crying.

Kennedy huffed before she reached out while he ran past her and hugged him closely to her chest, then cradling him in her arms like an infant. "Shh... Shhhh...", Kennedy hushed her child and Apollo began to calm down, still sobbing, whimpering, and shivering. He grabbed the edge of her cloak and snuggled up close to her as he cried. "Shh... Apollo... the spider is dead, okay? You killed it with your screams. It cannot hurt you, okay? You are okay, Mommy has got you.", Kennedy cooed, and Apollo finally began to calm down, sniffling as he wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. His breathing slowed as he relaxed, and Kennedy smiled. "See? Momma is not gonna let anything hurt you, okay?", Kennedy crooned, and Apollo nodded. "Okay...", he murmured, and Kennedy set him down. 

He hugged her arm tightly, and Kennedy kneeled down, giving him a kiss on the very top of his forehead, where his scalp began before she began to croon as she wiped his tears away.

Margaret smiled as she snapped the picture. 

This would be a fun family story to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Young Apollo is a joy to write.


	4. Chara Visits Apollo in the Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Apollo loses his eye to a wildcat attack, Chara visits him in the hospital when he is still passed out, bringing a few gifts.  
>  **++++WARNING: GORE/BLOOD++++**

Chara was trying to use their magic, but they just couldn't form their bullet pattern that day. "Chara, is something wrong? Yesterday, you formed your magic easily. Are you not feeling well?", Kennedy inquired, and she felt Chara's forehead with her hand. Chara shook their head. "No, I feel fine... I just have a bad feeling.", they revealed, and Kennedy hummed. "I am sure that everything is alright-", Kennedy stopped as she heard the front door open, and Chara's attention was earned when the door could be heard carelessly hitting the wall as it opened all the way.

"Hello?", Kennedy called, and she gasped as Apollo stumbled into the doorway, leaning on it to support himself as Skylar used all of her strength to hold him up by the back of his shirt so that he didn't collapse.

His right hand grabbed the door frame to hold himself up, and his left hand covered his left eye, which was obviously bleeding. He had many scratches and wounds on his arms and a few on his chest, but the worst cuts seemed to cross over his left eye. His clothes were wet and blood-soaked, and his hands were stained with his own blood as well. Tears were streaming from both of his eyes from the pain, but the tears from his left eye were reddened with the blood.

"M-Mooomma... I n-need hellp... P-please...", Apollo whimpered, and Kennedy immediately threw off her cloak and ran over to keep her son from falling over. "Are you okay!? What has happened!?", Kennedy questioned, and Apollo hiccupped from his crying. "Wild... cat... attacked me... Sky...lar... killed it... my... my eye... it **h u r t s . . .** ", Apollo moaned, and Kennedy grimaced as Apollo began to sob. "Let me see your eye.", she ordered, and Apollo weakly moved his hand away from his eye, wincing as he pulled his shirt sleeve off of his eye, as it stuck in the wound painfully.

He tried to open his eye, and a bloody, sticky clump of dust fell out of the left socket, down his cheek, and tumbled to the floor. Chara watched in horror as Kennedy immediately ripped off her shirt sleeve and folded it like a bandage, giving it to Apollo to press against his eye. 

"Okay, Apollo, we are going straight to the hospital! Chara, stay here, do not touch the blood! I will send someone to watch you, okay!? He will be here in a few minutes! Be good! I will take care of Apollo!", Kennedy assured, and she picked Apollo up and carried him out the front door, and Skylar shut the door behind them.

Chara was shocked stiff. They simply curled up into a ball and began to cry in fear for their brother's health as they closed their eyes tightly so that they didn't see the blood on the floor and wall.

After what felt like an eternity, the front door opened, and Chara heard footsteps. "Hello? Are you Chara?", a masculine voice asked, and Chara looked up to where the voice was coming from. A man with light brown hair and green eyes looked down at them with concern. "Wh-Who are you...?", Chara asked, and the man sighed. "Uh, I'm Rick. Your Mom sent me to look after you until she comes home or until we can visit Apollo.", Rick explained, and Chara frowned. "Oh. Okay... There's a lot of blood.", Chara pointed out, and Rick turned to look at the crimson colored substance on the wall. "Yeah, I better clean that up.", he sighed, and he pulled a washcloth and bucket out from under the sink and began to clean off the blood.

He paused when he found the dust clump. "What's this?", he inquired, and Chara shrugged. "I don't know. But Apollo opened his hurt eye and that fell out of it with a bunch of blood.", Chara explained, and Rick grimaced. "Yikes.", he cleaned up the rest of the blood, then properly disposing of the blood and rag. He washed his hands and sat across from Chara.

"So, you're Apollo's little sibling?", Rick asked, and Chara nodded. "Yeah... he's my big brother. And you're Mr. Merenge, from the school.", Chara pointed out, and Rick blinked. "How did you know?", he inquired, and Chara sighed. "I would occasionally see you in the halls when I went there, but I would usually see you at the end of the day.", Chara explained, and Rick sighed. "Ah, I see. So, I heard that you were really bullied in school, huh?", he asked, and Chara nodded. "Yeah. They always made fun of me because I'm not a girl or boy and that I used to be homeless.", Chara murmured. "They used the whispering blooms in MarshLily to bully me.", Chara explained. Rick sighed.

"You know, I used to be a bully, myself.", Rick admitted, and Chara blinked in surprise. "Really?", they inquired, and Rick nodded. "Yep. I was a big jerk. But one day... someone gave me a taste of my own medicine, and I became a much better person. Now, I'm a teacher.", Rick revealed, and Chara smiled. "Well, at least you got better.", they sighed, and Rick smiled. "I'm glad. Because of that, I'm one of your brother's best friends.", Rick chuckled, and Chara smiled. 

"Wanna play tea party?", Chara inquired, and Rick blinked. "Uh... sure?", he replied, and Chara grinned widely. "Okay! C'mon!", Chara hopped out of their seat and ran around to Rick's side before grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the room and into their bedroom, where they gestured to a pillow where Rick should sit.

Rick sat down, and Chara held out a pink tiara, a pink, glittery feather boa, and a large, sparkly, poofy, pink dress. "Tea parties are formal events. You have to dress formally to attend.", Chara insisted, and Rick chuckled nervously as he stared at the pink outfit. "Uh... I don't know if that dress will fit me.", he pointed out, and Chara raised an eyebrow. "What? It fits Apollo just fine.", they revealed, and Rick paled. "Oh, uh, well, can I have a bowtie or something instead of a dress? Or tiara?", he asked sheepishly, and Chara blinked. "Why?", they inquired, and Rick chuckled. "Well, I just- Well, I don't want to wear a dress.", Rick admitted, and Chara blinked.

They seemed to realize what Rick meant, and they smiled, setting the outfit aside as they walked over to a play chest to find something else. "Oh! Sorry! Don't worry, I think I have something for you to wear! I forget sometimes that not everyone can be as manly as Apollo is.", Chara giggled, and Rick froze. "Uh- What?", he asked, and Chara turned to him, smiling. "It's okay! You're not as manly as Apollo is! That's okay! Some guys just aren't as secure in their masculinity to feel comfortable wearing an outfit that is so 'girly.' I'll just find you something 'manlier.'", Chara said, and Rick was shocked. "Give me the pretty outfit with the glitter.", Rick growled, and Chara grinned. "That's the spirit!", they chirped.

Rick sipped his air. "My, my, Mr. Fuzzy, I must say, your scones are divine!", he complimented, and Chara grabbed Fuzzy and moved him as if he was talking. "Why, thank you, Rick!", Chara spoke for the goat plushie, and Rick chuckled, brushing off the dress he was wearing.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?", he answered, and the caller told him something, and he frowned. "Oh, I see. Yeah, we'll be there soon. Alright, see you then.", Rick hung up, and he stood up, beginning to take off the pink outfit. Chara looked confused. "What are you doing?", Chara inquired, and Rick sighed. "They've done all they can for Apollo. He's asleep right now, but your mom wants us to come see him.", Rick explained, and Chara went silent. "Oh. Okay.", they took off their own tea outfit, and they put their toys away. Except for Fuzzy.

"Can we take Fuzzy? He always makes me feel better, so maybe if I give him to Apollo...", Chara drifted off as they stared at the doll, and Rick sighed. "I don't see why not.", he said, and Chara followed him out of their room and out of the castle home. "Hey, Rick? Can we stop at the store? I want to get something for Apollo.", Chara explained, and Rick nodded.

Kennedy sighed as she sat by Apollo's side. He had passed out on the way to the hospital and he hadn't woken up since.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in.", Kennedy replied, and the door opened. "Momma?", Chara asked, and Kennedy turned to look at her child. Rick opened the door all the way, and Chara ran into their mother's arms. "How is he?", Rick asked, and Kennedy sighed. "He hasn't woken up since he passed out on the way here. He lost a lot of blood, but they healed most of the wounds on his body. It's just a few smaller but deeper cuts on his arms and chest that are bandaged up.", Kennedy explained, and Rick looked over to his best friend. "How's the eye?", he inquired, and Kennedy grew solemn. "Not there.", Kennedy stated, and both Chara and Rick looked to the queen in shock. "The cat tore it out when it clawed his face, and it turned to dust in the socket. They had to flush it out and stop the bleeding. But the eye is gone, irreparable. It will probably seriously affect his depth perception, I am afraid...", Kennedy sighed, and Chara frowned.

They had learned from Apollo that he needed depth perception to aim his bow and shoot accurately at his targets. Apollo loved to use his bow... if he couldn't aim very well... he would be devastated...

Chara hopped off of their mother's lap and walked over to Apollo's bedside. They were too short to see him very well, so they grabbed a chair and with a lot of effort, they set it quietly down next to Apollo's bed. They stood up in it and sighed as they saw Apollo. He was on a blood IV, and he was very pale. He was hooked up to the heart monitor, which was beeping rhythmically. They looked at his left eye and saw that it was entirely bandaged up. A few silent tears rolled down their cheeks.

Kennedy walked up to Chara. "Would you like some time alone?", she inquired, and Chara nodded. "Mhmm.", they said, and Kennedy sighed. "Come, Rick. The doctor will tell you about this all.", Kennedy assured, and Rick followed her out of the room, and Kennedy shut the door.

Chara sighed. "Apollo... can you hear me?", Chara asked, but there was no response from the warrior. Chara sniffled. "I... I'm not really sure what to say, but I guess I'll keep talking. I want you to feel better, though, and I'm sorry about your eye... I hope you can still use your bow after this... I know that your left eye isn't your dominant eye, so I guess that's good. It's not good that you lost any eyes, but... yeah.", Chara went silent for a few moments, just listening to the heart monitor.

They opened their satchel, pulling out Fuzzy, their beloved stuffed animal shaped like a goat monster that Apollo had gotten them on the day they had met as siblings. "I brought Fuzzy. I know he's not much, but he always makes me feel better, so maybe... maybe he can help you? I don't know. But it's worth a shot, right?", Chara tucked Fuzzy under the crook of Apollo's right arm. They sighed as Apollo still didn't react in the slightest. They pulled a milk chocolate bar our of their satchel as well.

"I also brought you some chocolate! Milk chocolate, the same brand that you gave me on the day you became my brother. Or at least, when we met as brother and sibling...", Chara drifted off, thinking of what to say. "I figured that since you were crying earlier that maybe you would like something sweet. And I remember you saying that chocolate makes you happy, and I know it makes me happy, so I thought it would help you.", Chara explained, and they slid the chocolate bar into Apollo's right hand.

No reaction.

Chara's eyes began to water, tears rolled down their cheeks, and then flowed like a river.

They leaned over the bedrail and hugged Apollo tightly, sobbing into his gown. "Apollo...! Please be okay... please, PLEASE be okay! I don't know what I'd do without you...! I love you so much, Apollo! Please get better... please... please...", Chara's begging was quickly reduced to incoherent whimpers and sobbing.

Apollo began to come out of his sleep peacefully, the medication drip and blood drip finally doing their job. He sighed internally as he remembered what happened thanks to the dull ache where his eye SHOULD have been. He was pulled from his haze as he noticed a weight on his chest. He opened his eyes-- eye - and noticed that a sobbing, green, yellow and brown blur was on his chest. Oh- wait- that was Chara.

Wait- what!?

Sure enough, Chara was crying their soul apart on his chest, and Apollo could occasionally make out bits and pieces of what they were trying to say.

"...be okay..."  
"Apollo..."  
"I love you..."  
"...please wake up..."

Apollo took a glance around and noticed that his right arm was rather occupied by Fuzzy and the chocolate bar. After trying to remember where they came from, he realized Chara must have brought them for him.

Chara's sobbing slowly drew to a pause as they felt someone's arm wrap around them. They looked up and gasped as they saw Apollo weakly looking at them with a soft, warm smile. "You're a good kid, Chara... I always knew you'd do great things.", Apollo murmured, and Chara felt a new, soothing wave of tears roll down their cheeks. "Apollo!", they hugged their brother tightly, and he sighed contently.

A small chitter was heard from the other side of the room. Chara looked over and blinked. There was a large, flaming pink/golden bird with blue feather tips perched on the farthest chair from the bed, and there were several stars in the bird's feathers. Chara remembered seeing the species of that bird in a school book, but they couldn't remember the name of it.

"Chara, I've talked to you about Skylar, right? The bird Mom and I rescued and patched up a week or so before you were adopted?", Apollo asked, and Chara gasped. A Dawn Phoenix! It was a Dawn Phoenix! "Uh-huh... she's pretty.", Chara breathed, speaking their mind.

Skylar seemed flattered, as the pleased trill that came from Skylar's beak confirmed. Apollo chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that means 'thank you' in Phoenix. I'm slowly starting to get a grasp on what she's saying.", Apollo explained, and Chara smiled. "Thank you for helping Apollo, Skylar.", Chara cooed, and the bird chirped a few times in response. Chara turned to Apollo for a translation, but he simply shrugged. "Beats me. Hmm... Come here, you cutie pie.", Apollo lifted Chara into the bed, laying them down on his chest. 

Chara immediately snuggled up as Apollo wrapped his left arm around them again.

"Apollo... I'm sorry about your eye...", Chara murmured, and Apollo sighed. "Yeah, it'll be harder to shoot my arrows like this, but I think if I can train Skylar to hold people still I may still be able to shoot them.", Apollo pointed out, and Chara smiled. "Ah... I like how you're so positive, Apollo. It's really nice.", they crooned, and Apollo chuckled. "Well, being sad and mopey isn't gonna get me my eye back, is it?", he inquired, and Chara giggled. "I guess not, but it's still pretty nice, y'know?", they asked, and Apollo's heart felt warm as Chara yawned softly. "Aww, is someone sleepy?", Apollo inquired, and Chara sighed. "Just a little...", they admitted, and Apollo chuckled. "That's alright, Chara. You can take a nap if you want. I'm thinking about doing the same.", Apollo revealed, and Chara smiled. "Okay... nighty-night...", they yawned again, snuggling up close to their older brother, who held them a little closer as he yawned as well.

"Goodnight, Chara. I love you.", Apollo cooed, and Chara smiled gently. "I love you... too...", they yawned once more before finally closing their eyes and falling asleep.

Apollo sighed contently. It had been quite the awful day for him, but...

He looked down at his little sibling once more, his heart melting as Chara wrapped their arms around him in their sleep like a giant stuffed animal.

It had a pretty nice ending to it.

Apollo closed his eye and sighed happily as he drifted to sleep.

Kennedy walked up to the room door and leaned her ear on it. She couldn't hear anything...

She opened the door, looking around for Chara in the room before gasping as she saw her children all snuggled up with each other. Apollo was sleeping peacefully, a warm smile on his face. Chara looked peaceful as well, happy to be with their brother. Kennedy crooned happily, and she gasped quietly as Skylar copied the sound to let Kennedy know that she was there. "Oh, hello, Skylar. Are they doing okay?", Kennedy whispered, and the bird bobbed her head up and down to nod. Kennedy smiled. "I am glad.", Kennedy cooed, watching her children.

Rick peered over her shoulder, blinking as he saw his best friend and Chara all snuggled up. "I see that they're pretty happy. I think I'll visit him tomorrow, Ms. Simmons, alright? I'll see you later. I assume you're staying overnight, right?", Rick asked, and Kennedy nodded. "Yes. Goodnight, Rick. Thank you for watching Chara for me.", Kennedy replied, and Rick chuckled as he remembered the tea party. "It was my pleasure. Goodnight, Ms. Simmons.", Rick said, and he began to walk home.

Kennedy sighed, pulling out her phone, and snapping a picture of her children. This would be a nice story to tell one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chara and Apollo are very close, closer than one could possibly think.  
> Chara might even love Apollo more than Kennedy, actually. Not that they would ever be able to choose between them.


	5. How Chara Was Adopted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kennedy reminisces about how she adopted her youngest child off of the street.

"And so, unlike red magic and green magic, blue magic is a projection spell, just like yellow magic! Which means the user has to be within the range of the target to use it effectively! But unlike yellow magic, it can't be cast artificially, at least as far as we know. But blue magic is heavily dependent on the earth's gravitational pull. Now, people with blue souls or at least souls that are partially blue have an easier time with blue magic because they are typically down-to-earth, and magic likes to be funny. Integrous souls have a lot of moral uprightness, they are typically honest and sincere. They simply have an easier time using blue magic in general. But anyone can use it if they try really hard to learn it and master it. And any good magic-user should know that that is the best way to learn a spell!", Chara chirped, and Kennedy smiled contently as she enjoyed a chocolate donut.

Her child made her proud every day. They were always eager to learn and to prove that they knew what they read. They were one of Kennedy's most successful proteges when it came to magic. Not that any of her other adopted children didn't learn a decent amount of magical spells under her care.

Margaret learned how to charge her mace with magical energy to deal a heavier blow.

Apollo learned how to use green magic, even if Chara had helped him to master it by training Skylar how to hold targets still so he could hit them.

Melissa had learned how to mimic other people's magic to confuse them, and it wasn't an easy feat. Not that Melissa had been her child.

Kennedy remembered when she was young and Jake had taught her how to unlock her magical capabilities. When he had learned how to use red magic, being the first human to accomplish such a feat. To tap into one's pure determination and use it against an enemy, instantly draining their magical stores by absorbing them through the red magic enchantment. When he had taught her how to use red magic when they were older.

But Kennedy had been forced to master it alone.

Kennedy sighed, taking her child's hair in her hands as they read some of the passages from the book and simply running it between her fingers. Her precious, adopted child. But she didn't care. They were her child. Kennedy had been told on several occasions that her children could pass for her actual children. To which Kennedy would say that they were, they were just not born from her blood. They were just as much her children as they would be if they were born from her blood.

It wasn't like she could have children by blood anymore ever since she stopped aging anyway...

Kennedy moved her hands from Chara's hair to their armpits, picking them up and placing them in her lap and dragging the book even closer, hugging their beloved child close as they read their book to her.

Chara. Kennedy's youngest child that she's ever adopted. She adopted them when they were six years old. 

They had lived in the Whispering Bloom areas spread around MarshLily, though they were terrified of the flowers after some bullies had whispered cruel things into the blooms while they were asleep, making the whispering enter their dreams as they slept. They would wake up in cold sweats after having nightmares due to the cruel whispering, only to discover to their horror that the insults and threats would follow them into the real world.

Kennedy had met Chara when she had visited the underground's school for a project. The students were to learn about flowers and how to take care of them. The teacher was unaware of the bullying Chara went through, and unaware of their fear of Whispering Blooms. All the teacher had known was that Chara lived in MarshLily, so she assumed that they would be able to observe the flowers in the wild to see what the Whispering Bloom the teacher assigned them would need.

Kennedy had watched the teacher assign each student a flower. She had seen her call Chara to the front. She had seen the pale and apprehensive look on Chara's face when the teacher held out the potted Whispering Bloom to them. But Chara had taken it, unable to say no to the teacher lest they be mocked for being scared of a silly flower.

Chara had taken the flower to their desk. Once every student had been assigned a flower, they had to come up and get tags with their names and the flower's species written on them and some small water bottles to water the flowers with. They were called one by one.

When Chara had been called up, Kennedy gave them the tag and the water bottle. Chara had meekly thanked her, heading back to their seat.

What neither Kennedy nor the teacher had noticed while Chara was retrieving the necessary items for their flower was that some of their bullies had whispered into the Whispering Bloom on their desk.

They called them horrible things, as they always did.

When Chara had returned to their desk, they were horrified into silence.

Then, they had begun to cry, making the class snicker and giggle. Kennedy had noticed this, but not Chara's tears.

But everyone had been shocked into silence when Chara simply snapped.

"STOP IT!", they screeched, and they swiped the flower pot off of their desk, making the clay pot shatter on the ground, sending dirt everywhere and leaving the flower on the ground.

The teacher growled. "Chara! Look at what you did! You've made an enormous mess! That's it! You have detention again, young lady!", the teacher had snapped, and the entire class had laughed at Chara, pointing fingers. 

"B-But... But...", Chara stuttered, but the teacher held up her hand, silencing them.

Chara burst into tears and ran out of the classroom, running far away.

Kennedy had been so confused. "Don't worry about her. She's always acting up.", the teacher had said, and Kennedy sighed. She had walked over to the Whispering Bloom and picked it up. 'STOP IT!', the bloom chanted, repeating Chara's words over and over again.

"Timmy, would you please get the broom and start sweeping up this mess since Chara has run off?", the teacher asked, and the student had nodded and begun to clean up the dirt.

But Kennedy was disheartened. Chara didn't seem like a bad kid.

Kennedy had approached the teacher. "If you do not mind, I will go and find Chara. I would like to know why they attacked my flower.", Kennedy said, and the teacher sighed. "Go ahead, but she's a closed book. Good luck.", she had said, and Kennedy had nodded, placing the Whispering Bloom on the table before venturing off to find Chara.

She found them sobbing, curled up into a ball in MarshLily after an hour of searching. They were all alone.

Kennedy walked closer to them, but kept her distance, as she didn't want to scare them.

"Chara?", Kennedy called, and Chara flinched as they turned to face her. But it appeared as if they weren't expecting Kennedy, as they looked shocked and then scared.

"I... I'm sorry that I broke your flower, your high- I mean, Ms. Simmons...", Chara whimpered, and Kennedy frowned. "Young lady, I do n-", Kennedy froze as Chara hardened.

"I'M NOT A GIRL!!!", they screamed at her, and Kennedy blinked as they broke down again. "I'm not a girl... I don't want to be called a girl... I'm not a she... Or he... I'm THEY AND THEM... But nobody cares...", Chara whimpered, and they began to sob again. Kennedy felt her soul twist.

She knelt down closer to Chara.

"Chara... I am so sorry. I did not know. But I shall call you they and them from now on, as you wish, okay? I will not call you by anything else if you do not wish to be referred to as such.", Kennedy said, and Chara blinked, turning to face Kennedy. "R-Really...?", they asked, and Kennedy nodded. "Of course.", Kennedy crooned, and Chara frowned, obviously not trusting Kennedy. "Why? Why would you bother?", they asked, and Kennedy sighed. "When the first monster fell down here... Frisk... My little sibling... They did not wish to be called she or he either. They wanted to be referred to as 'they.' So my family respected their wishes. They did not like to be called anything else.", Kennedy revealed, and Chara was shocked.

"I... I...", Chara ran over to Kennedy and threw themselves into her arms, shocking the queen.

They realized what they had done, and were about to pull away until Kennedy hugged them back.

They held onto Kennedy tightly. Only then could Kennedy get a good look at them. 

Their clothes were threadbare and ill-fitting. Their shoes were too big, and they looked as if they had been worn for years before Chara had obtained them. Chara was pale, unnaturally so. They were very thin, and their hair was thin and dry.

They were not well cared for.

"Chara, where are your parents?", Kennedy asked, ready to give somebody an earful. 

But her heart broke when Chara answered her.

"I don't have any."

Kennedy felt tears roll down her cheeks as she hugged Chara even closer. "You do not have a home, do you?", she asked, and Chara sniffled. "I live in the areas of Whispering Blooms around here... But I don't like them... Th-They always whisper mean things to me when I sleep... And then I hear them in my dreams, making me have nightmares every night...", Chara choked on their words, and Kennedy felt her soul sink. "And then when I wake up, I still hear them whispering... The bullies at school... They always make fun of me...! They call me a freak... A monster...", Chara sobbed, and Kennedy rubbed their back. "Why would they call you such things...?", she asked, and Chara looked up at her, opening their eyes wide.

Kennedy blinked.

Chara's eyes were a soft red color.

"They make fun of my looks... Of the fact that I want to be called 'they' and 'them'... Especially after I told the teacher that they were making fun of me for that reason and she told me that calling a single person 'they' and 'them' wasn't correct... That only multiple people can be called 'they' and 'them'... And the teacher gave me detention for arguing with her about it... She gives me detention for a lot of things that I do... When it's all THEIR faults...!", Chara sobbed into Kennedy's shirt, making her hug the child even closer. 

"Chara, I am not saying that anyone should stop going to school... But if you have no parents and no home... Why do you continue being around these terrible people...?", Kennedy inquired, and Chara sniffled. "Because I want to learn... I want to be able to have a home... I want to get to middle school so that I can learn magic... I want to get better at what I want to do and more... But it's basically impossible with THEM...", Chara whimpered, and Kennedy frowned.

"Chara. Do you know how I became the person I am today? How I became queen?", Kennedy asked, and Chara sniffled. "N-No...", they mumbled, and Kennedy sighed as she began to lean forward and back, rocking Chara gently.

"When I was a little girl... I was a normal child. I had two parents. An older brother. A home. I was happy. I lived a perfectly normal life. But one day, that was all taken away from me.", Kennedy said, and Chara looked up at her curiously, curling up and laying in Kennedy's lap. "Our house caught aflame. My parents got my brother and I to safety, and went to find help, but it was late at night. The fire brigade could not get to us in time, and our house burned to the ground. Everything we ever had was lost. Any pictures, items, clothes, anything that we did not have on our back was turned to ashes.", Kennedy reminisced, remembering the inferno.

"Everything I had ever known was gone. I remember watching it burn, it was sickeningly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. We had no where to go. Our parents lost all hope. And two weeks after we lost our house, our parents fell down.", Kennedy sniffed, and Chara gasped. "My brother and I waited for them to wake up, but they never did. And then... they turned to stardust. My brother made me absorb most of it, but he gained a decent amount of it himself. I was nine years old, and Jake had just turned twelve. And we had nothing. No family. No home. Nothing but each other and the magic and determination that our parents had given us. We did not even have anything to spread our parents' dust over. But we took their dust and spread it over the remains of our house. And after that, we were fish in a barrel.", Kennedy said, and Chara snuggled close to Kennedy's chest.

"We lived on the streets. My brother was forced to grow up faster than he should have to raise me. He learned to cook from scratch, having never learned to cook anything before we lost our parents. He learned how to beg for food and cloth, and who would give us food and who would give us a cold shoulder. He learned who would let him rummage through their garbage. Then, when I was old enough, he taught me all of that, and I learned to make blankets and clothes... And we lived on the streets until we were in our twenties. He was twenty-three, and I was twenty. We had only known each other for company and love throughout most of our lives. And then... they found us.", Kennedy said, taking a deep breath. "They had been looking for a ruler. Someone to lead them. The strongest, smartest, kindest, most determined human they could find. But no one fit the bill. But... a lot of the people we had met during our time on the street... The people we had begged from... That we had talked to in the store... They all pointed to where we lived when they asked if they could recommend anybody. We were not perfect. Not even close. But we were smart. We knew how to survive on the streets. We were strong. Over time, our determination had more than tripled due to the large amount we had absorbed as children. We were kind. We would give away things that we needed to anyone else on the street who needed it more. And we were determined. They selected us. They cleaned us up. And they crowned us prince and princess.", Kennedy explained, and Chara's eyes were filled with awe and wonder.

"After we had been trained on how to rule, and readied, I was selected to be crowned queen while my brother remained as prince due to my larger amount of determination. When I was, I led the people through the rest of the underground, naming places as I did. Until... we reached the end of the cavern, where the castle is now. We found the barrier, where we had first been locked in here almost 5000 years ago at the time. It filled me with determination and hope for the future. And I named the capital 'Hope.' We built what you see around you today. A kingdom. Frisk fell into the underground, and we adopted them into the family. The underground was full of hope. Until I lost both of my siblings in one night.", Kennedy sighed, and Chara sniffled.

"The underground was devoid of hope. The streets were empty. Buildings were closed. The whole world was mourning. And then, in a fit of rage, I declared war. And over the next 2000 years, I was shaped by time like a rock, but I did not age. But I changed. I grew wiser. I learned more spells just from having time on my hands. I learned how painful it was to be lonely. Even though I am the queen... Even though I have a castle to live in... An immense amount of money and the endless space of time to enjoy... Without my family beside me... I feel as if I have nothing to my name. For how can I be 'Kennedy Pleione Simmons...' If I am the only 'Simmons?' I cannot be. I am simply Kennedy Pleione. I cannot have a family name without a family, after all. So... I found family in the ones I could understand the most. The ones on the streets.", Kennedy continued, and Chara blinked.

"I would raise them. Give them a home. A life. I gave them love in a world so short of it. And they gave me company. Family. And love in return. Until they went where I can never follow...", Kennedy sniffled as she wiped tears from her eyes. 

Chara was silent, simply letting Kennedy rock them gently.

"We could have that, you know.", Kennedy said, and Chara turned to face her, shocked. Kennedy looked down at Chara. "You can have a home, Chara. I can take care of you. I can teach you how to use magic tomorrow if you wished it to be that way.", Kennedy began to run her fingers through Chara's hair. "We could be like... like a family.", Kennedy offered, and Chara felt their eyes grow watery. "R-Really...?", they asked, and Kennedy smiled. "Yes, Chara.", she said, and Chara hugged her tightly. "Please... Please... I want to stay with you...", Chara begged, and Kennedy hugged them tightly. "As you wish, my child.", Kennedy said, and she cried. "Can... Can I call you 'Mom?", Chara asked, and Kennedy sniffled. "Of course, my child...", Kennedy cried, and Chara hugged her tightly.

"Hey... How about we go to the schoolhouse... And while you pack up your things in your desk, I give that teacher an earful?", Kennedy asked, and Chara blinked.

"Okay!", they chirped, and Kennedy crooned happily as she stood up, holding Chara's hand as they made their way back to the school.

Chara had rushed in and started packing their desk. 

"Ah, there you are, young lady! You have a lot to answer for!", the teacher snapped, and Kennedy walked up to her. 

"Young CHILD, you mean. Chara is not a girl or a boy. And using 'they' and 'them' to address a singular person is grammatically correct. What is NOT correct is how you have let this entire class bully Chara because they 'act out.' So, you chose to ignore their asks for help because they are a bad child?", Kennedy asked, and the teacher was shocked. "I... I... they are a CHILD. I am in charge of them, they need to learn respect, your majesty.", the teacher insisted, and Kennedy scoffed. "They are very respectful, actually. And I have quite enjoyed getting to know them. Meanwhile, I have been made aware that I need to teach you how to do some things.", Kennedy said, and the teacher gasped.

"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job!? I am a teacher! I know how to handle children, your highness. You are a queen, you rule over the kingdom. You handle everyone's problems. I am a teacher. I take care of children. I think I know more about that than you do. Our jobs are very different.", the teacher said, and Kennedy huffed. "Ms. Flead, I have raised nineteen children in my lifetime, and they all lived happy lives. Two of them are still alive, and I visit them often. I have homeschooled all of them, and they had jobs, homes, and families of their own. I know what I am doing when I say I know how to take care of a child. I know when to give them help. I know when to discipline them. I know how to care for them. I am not just a queen, I am a mother as well. And you are a teacher. When the day is over, these children go home. I know how to care for them all day and night. You know how to give them knowledge, and that is about it.", Kennedy stated, and the class released a series of 'ooh's.

Ms. Flead narrowed her eyes. "I still know that Chara needs to be punished for being destructive and disruptive in class!", she snapped, and Kennedy laughed in her face. "No. Your class was laughing at them because they left a nasty message in the flower that I gave them. They were already disruptive by themselves. Chara actually behaves and tries to learn on their own volition, there is nobody forcing them to come to school to be ruthlessly punished by you and bullied by your entire class. They came here to actually learn. But I see now that they cannot in this terrible environment. Especially when you never lifted a finger to even make their learning experience safer. They cannot learn from a teacher like you. Which is why you are no longer a teacher at all.", Kennedy announced, and Ms. Flead gasped. "What!?", she exclaimed, and Kennedy rolled her eyes. "You are fired, Ms. Flead. Your pink slip is in the front office, you may collect it. I will find someone else far more capable of giving these students a quality learning experience where they can feel safe. Goodbye.", Kennedy said, and Ms. Flead huffed and stormed out of the room.

The class cheered, and Kennedy closed the door.

Chara finished packing their desk, which hadn't been full anyway, and began to walk through the aisle to Kennedy, but stepped on a marker and fell down, causing the entire class to laugh loudly.

Chara bit their lip and held their knee, which was scraped badly and bleeding. Tears began to appear in their eyes.

Kennedy immediately rushed over to them and picked them up, cradling them in her arms as she began to heal them, rocking them gently. Chara began to calm down and snuggled up as close to Kennedy as possible.

"CRYBABY CHARA!", a student called out, and the class began to laugh again, and Chara's eyes began to water up. Kennedy set them down near the front of the class before whipping around to face the class, stomping her foot on the ground with a powerful 'BOOM.'

The class went silent. 

"And YOU. You all have treated a child your age like they are nothing. They are a human, just as you are. And yet you have degraded them into feeling as if they are lower than all of you. When truly, they are one of the sweetest children I have met. I will tell your new teacher about this treacherous behavior, and I will make sure all of your parents are made aware of the terrible Whispering Bloom scheme you have pulled on Chara here and when the school day is over. I will make sure you are all properly punished for what you have all done. A substitute teacher will be here in a few minutes. And I would like all of you to return my plants to the front desk, and all of you will be given a zero for your project grade.", Kennedy said, and the entire class gasped. "But we need this grade! Project grades are 50 percent of our grade for the year!", a student exclaimed, and the class went into an uproar. "Well, if you cannot take care of each other and you have treated one of your classmates so terribly, how can I possibly trust you with flowers from my own garden, hmm? Why should I? Give me one good reason.", Kennedy said, and the class was silent.

"Exactly.", Kennedy said, and the students returned the plants to the front desk, and Kennedy stored them all on her phone. The substitute teacher entered, and Kennedy nodded. "Good, you are here. I have explained what these children have done, have I not?", Kennedy asked, and the teacher nodded. "Yes, and I will make sure they are punished, your highness.", the substitute said, and Kennedy nodded.

"Good.", Kennedy began to walk out, and Chara got up to follow her. The substitute blinked. "Where are you going, sweetheart?", she asked, and Chara turned to her with a wide smile. "I'm being homeschooled from now on because I was the one being bullied.", they explained, and they turned to Kennedy. "Up?", they asked, and Kennedy crooned happily as she picked them up. "Thanks, Mom.", Chara said, and Kennedy smiled as she kissed Chara on the forehead. "You are welcome, my child.", Kennedy said, and the class gasped.

Chara whispered something in Kennedy's ear.

Kennedy blinked, but chuckled warmly. "Just this once.", she said, and Chara grinned as they turned to the class. Kennedy turned to the teacher. "If you do not like swearing, plug your ears.", she warned, but the teacher smiled. "Screw you bitches, I'm getting adopted!", Chara exclaimed, and the class gasped in horror, turning to the teacher. "I didn't hear anything.", the teacher said, and Kennedy grinned. "Neither did I. And Chara told me what you whispered in those flowers, so I do not think your parents would like to hear about that!", Kennedy said, and the class paled.

They would not be telling their parents that Chara swore lest Kennedy tell their parents exactly what they said.

Kennedy took Chara home to sign their adoption papers.

Kennedy sighed as she looked down at Chara as they continued to read their book.

"And that's how blue magic works!", Chara said, and Kennedy crooned happily. "That was very detailed. I am very proud of you.", Kennedy said, and she held out a chocolate donut with chocolate glaze on it, which Chara took and bit into eagerly. "Thanks, Mom! I love you!", Chara chirped, and Kennedy hugged her child close. "I love you too, Chara.", she said.

She always would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kennedy's a good momma bear.


	6. Chara Visits IceBerg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after running away from home and getting help from Apollo, four-year-old Chara finally decides to visit IceBerg Town.  
> They are terrified, meeting several new people... new places... it was all so overwhelming!  
> But it all melts away with the chill in the air as they find warmth in a place so short of it when they make a new friend or two.

Chara shivered immediately as they stepped out of the swampy lands of MarshLily and into the crunchy, fresh snow of IceBerg. "I-I-I didn't even know th-that it could b-be s-so cold-d-d...", Chara shivered, and they held their threadbare shirt close to them as they hurried into town, where they gasped as they looked around.

There were people going about their business in the small town, walking pets, talking, playing, decorating a tree, and many other activities. Warm, golden rays of light shone through shop windows, enticing the small child to them. They walked in front of a large house, which was for sale. The tall building seemed warm despite having no lights on and being completely empty, which to Chara, was very impressive.

Empty buildings scared them.

They continued on, stopping in front of an odd building. Chara looked in the window, and they could see several shelves with many books inside. They read the sign over the door.

What in the name of Queen Galaxia was a 'Kibrary'???

Chara opened the door and took a tentative step inside, looking around. "Hello there!", a warm voice greeted, and Chara yelped in surprise. The librarian gasped. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you! Welcome to IceBerg Town's Library! Sorry, I know the sign is misspelled. Too late to fix it now!", the librarian chuckled, and Chara giggled. "Feel free to read whatever you like! You can't take them with you, I'm afraid. We haven't set up a library card system yet.", the librarian explained, and Chara smiled meekly. "Um, that's okay. I'm just looking around. This is my first time in IceBerg...", they revealed, and the librarian blinked. "Oh, well, that's alright! Welcome to IceBerg! You'll like it around here. If you're hungry, head over to Stanley's for some food. There's also an inn if you need a place to stay the night, the fee is eighty dollars, though. And right next to that is the shop!", the librarian explained, and Chara smiled. "Thank you... I'm gonna go. Nice to meet you.", Chara murmured, and the librarian waved as the child left.

Chara walked past a pathway and looked up at a building. There was a large sign above it. "Stanley's." Chara opened the door and looked around. It was very warm, and there was music playing from an old jukebox in the corner. It smelled kinda odd, and it gave Chara a sinking feeling in their soul...

Alcohol.  
HE had always smelled like alcohol...  
HE wasn't good. HE hurt Chara... THEY both did...

"Hey, bud, I dunno if a bar is meant to be admired from the door. The door is supposed to let you go inside.", a female voice pointed out, and Chara jumped, turning around. They looked up at a blonde woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties. She was wearing a turtleneck sweater, and her hair was pulled up with a scrunchie. She had an odd smile on her face. One that made Chara think of an old friend, strangely enough... as if they had met her before... weird. But the woman seemed pretty nice despite her odd attitude. "Oh, uh, sorry. I don't really plan on going in, anyway... it... it smells like drink.", Chara explained, and the woman raised an eyebrow. "Well, it IS a bar. What's so bad about it smelling like alcohol?", the woman asked, and Chara self-consciously rubbed their scarred upper arms. "Alcohol is bad. It makes people angry and mean and evil...", Chara grumbled, and the woman gained a pitying smile. She placed a hand on Chara's hair and gently ruffled it.

Usually, Chara would have torn away from the touch, but the affection seemed familiar from her... like this was a normal thing for the woman to do with Chara... But... Chara had just met her. Anyway, oddly enough, Chara didn't mind it too much.

"Look, I can tell that you're a good kid. And that someone didn't treat you as such. But alcohol isn't bad. It can be bad for you, but some people take it too far. They think alcohol is a solution to all of their problems. But it can be the cause of them. People can be bad, inanimate things can't. Alcohol is only dangerous in the wrong hands, okay? Now, do you want something to eat? You look a little... bare-boned. I'll pay for ya.", the woman offered, and Chara blinked. Hmm... they hadn't known that. And yet... it felt as if they had been told this before. "Uh, sure...? What's your name?", Chara inquired, and the woman grinned. "The name's Sofia. Sofia Jones. I live in Hope, but I'm looking to move here, where it's less crowded. So, what's your name?", Sofia asked, and Chara smiled shyly. "Um... Chara.", they replied, and Sofia smiled. "I like it. Soft, but strong. Come on, let's get you some fries. And I think Stanley's got some apple juice he can give ya.", Sofia said, and she led Chara up to the bar.

Chara looked up at the barstool. The seat was half a foot over their head... Sofia seemed to be one step ahead of them. "Hey, you need some help, Chara?", she asked, and Chara blushed with embarrassment. "Uh, yes, please.", they replied, and Sofia turned their soul blue, lifting them up into the chair. The whoopie cushion that had been hidden underneath released its air, making Chara sigh as Sofia laughed. "Wow. Yeah, watch out. Sometimes weirdos like to put whoopie cushions in the seats.", Sofia warned, and Chara raised an eyebrow. "Are you one of them?", they inquired, and Sofia gasped, feigning offense. "What!? I would never- yeah, it was totally me.", Sofia admitted, and Chara giggled. "'Ey, Stanley, double fries for me and the kid.", Sofia said, and Stanley went to make the order.

He came back not long afterward, giving the two their fries. Chara poked the salty finger food, unsure what to do with it. They picked up a fry and ate it, humming in thought. "So, do you like it?", Sofia asked, and Chara swallowed the fry. "Eh, it's kinda salty. Like, too salty for me.", they admitted, and Sofia chuckled. "That's alright. I'll eat it. But hey, Stan, can ya get this kid some apple juice? They need it.", Sofia pointed out, and Stanley nodded, opening a mini-fridge and pulling out a juice box of apple juice and handed it to Chara. "...the straw is on the back.", Stanley said, and he took someone else's order.

Chara pulled the straw off the package and stuck it into the tinfoil. They took a sip of the juice, smiling at its sweet taste. Sofia grinned. "So you like sweet more than salt? Try going to IceBerg Shop. There's a lady there who sells some ice cream bars and some pastries. Here're thirty bucks, go get yourself a treat. On me. Just don't spend it all in one place, alright?", Sofia warned, and Chara smiled as Sofia gave them the money. "Wow, thanks, Sofia! I'll go buy something now. I'm kinda hungry. But thank you! Have a nice day!", Chara chirped, and they carefully hopped down from the stool, taking the money and juice box with them as they waved goodbye to Sofia as they left the bar.

They made their way to the end of town, entering the shop.

They walked up to the counter and sighed. It towered over them, just like everything else seemed to. Couldn't a four-year-old find any furniture that they could appreciate? Or at least see over!?

They jumped as a woman peered over the edge of the counter at them. "Oh, hello. What do you want?", the woman asked bluntly, and Chara winced. Sofia had forgotten to mention that the lady wasn't the nicest. "Um... I would like to buy some food, please...", Chara murmured, and the woman raised an eyebrow. "I can't hear you, speak up.", she ordered, and Chara cringed. "I would like to buy some food, please.", they repeated, and the woman sighed, taking a smoke from her cigarette. "What do you want? I have orange creamsicles and cinnamon rolls.", the woman said, and Chara blinked. "I... I don't know what those are.", they replied, and the woman groaned with annoyance. "Orange creamsicles are ice cream bars with cream on the inside and orange sherbert on the outside. Cinnamon rolls are pastry buns baked with cinnamon and covered in glaze. Now, what do you want?", the woman asked again, and Chara hummed.

Well, they didn't want any ice cream when it was already so cold out... But... wasn't cinnamon spicy? Oh well, Chara needed something warm.

"Any day, kid.", the woman huffed, and Chara sighed. "I'll have a cinnamon roll, please.", they answered, and the woman rolled her eyes. "Twenty-five dollars.", the woman stated, and Chara handed over the twenty-dollar-bill and a ten-dollar-bill. The woman sighed as she handed a five-dollar-bill and a freshly baked cinnamon roll. Chara examined the pastry. There was a sweet-smelling substance on it, which Chara assumed was the glaze. They hesitantly took a bite of the cinnamon roll, chewing it slowly.

They paused. This didn't taste like cinnamon at all! It tasted sweet! It tasted _wonderful!_

They swallowed, looking up at the woman, who was waiting for Chara to leave. "Are you sure this has cinnamon in it? It's really sweet. Isn't... isn't cinnamon spicy?", they inquired, and the woman rolled her eyes. "Cinnamon can be spicy or sweet. Cinnamon rolls and other desserts with cinnamon in them typically use sweet cinnamon. Haven't you ever had baking cinnamon before?", the woman asked, and Chara frowned as they shook their head. "What, do you live under a rock?", the woman pressed, and Chara frowned. "No... I don't live anywhere, really. I don't have a home at all... a rock would be an improvement.", Chara admitted, and the woman blinked.

Oh. Now that the woman actually took the time to look the child over, they were in poor shape. Their clothes were ill-fitting and threadbare, they had old shoes that didn't fit, and their hair was matted and tangled as if the child had never had a haircut before in their life. Seeing the child's poor condition... ignited something deep in the woman. Something that brought up some bad memories. Her eyes began to water as she remembered what she almost had.

_"You mean you're just going to walk out on our relationship!? Why!?", Casie Clem had screamed at her boyfriend, who she had been dating for two years at the time. "Look, I can't handle this. You're pregnant, and I'm not ready for a baby. So I'm out.", he had replied. "So you're just going to leave me to raise our baby all alone!? You- How **dare** you!? I love you!", Casie had yelled. "I get that. And I'm not saying that I don't have feelings for you, but there isn't enough of them to stick around to see this trainwreck. So I'm leaving before we crash.", he had said, zipping up his suitcase. Casie felt tears stream down her cheeks. " **FINE! DAMN YOU, CHARLIE! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!** ", Casie had screeched, snatching the keys from his hand and taking her house key off of it, then throwing the rest of them at him. He grabbed the keys and the rest of his belongings and stormed out. _

_Casie had collapsed onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow._

Casie bit her lip to hold back a whimper as more memories sprung into her mind.

_Casie watched as the doctors held her newborn daughter. She could see their eyes fill with worry. "The baby isn't breathing.", one of the doctors said, and Casie's blood went cold. "Wh-What...? Not breathing...? Then... make her breathe! She has to breathe!", Casie insisted, and the doctors began to check the baby's vitals. "The heartbeat is weak, we're losing her! Dr. Wells, help me!", one of the doctors had ordered, and they had rushed Casie's baby to a table on the other side of the room. Casie watched in horror as they tried to get her baby to respond to no avail. Her senses began to go fuzzy as they brought the baby's table over next to her bed, which meant that the baby was dying. They had wheeled the baby over so that if she died, Casie would absorb her daughter's magic and determination as she turned to stardust. They continued to try and revive her, but nothing happened. Casie felt her heart break as the doctors stopped, simply backing away. "I'm sorry ma'am.", one of them had sighed._

_Casie took her daughter into her arms. "Baby... Haley... Wake up, Haley... Wake up for Mommy... Please? Please...? I...", Casie sniffled as she knew all hope was lost for her child. Her child who would never open her eyes, breathe, or live for more than five minutes. The daughter that never even had the chance to love anything to have her dust spread over. "Mommy loves you, Haley. Mommy loves you so much... I love you, Haley. I love you. I love you... **I love you. More than I love myself... I'll miss you... I love you... I'm sorry, Haley... I love you.** ", Casie cried._

_Haley turned to dust in her arms._

Casie snapped back to reality, tears streaming down her face.

She looked down at the child, then looking to her cigarette. She gritted her teeth.

She put the cigarette out in the ashtray.

She felt her motherly instincts kick in. She shouldn't be smoking at all, let alone around a child.

She took a deep breath as she looked back down at the child. She smiled. "I... I'm sorry.", Casie apologized, and the child looked up at her in confusion, eyes moist. "I've been so rude to you, and I had no reason to be. I... I've been taking out my pain on everyone around me for a long time... which in turn hurts them as well. That includes you, as well. And obviously, you don't need any more pain in your life.", Casie pointed out, and the child gave her a sympathetic look. "Here.", Casie gave the money back to the child, who simply held it in their hand. "You need it more than I do.", Casie sighed, and the child smiled shyly. "Thank you, Ms...", the child drifted off, and Casie smiled. "Clem. Call me Ms. Clem. What is your name?", Casie asked, and the child's soft red eyes lit up.

"Chara. My name is Chara. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Clem. Thank you.", Chara smiled, and Ms. Clem sighed happily. "Anytime, Chara. Do you like the cinnamon roll?", Ms. Clem inquired, and Chara nodded. "Yeah! It's really warm and sweet! I didn't even know cinnamon could be sweet!", they chirped, and Ms. Clem grinned. Chara was eager to open up now that she was being nice to the child. It had been a while since she had been so welcoming to people, but... Chara seemed to bring it out in her. Ms. Clem got an idea. "Hold on, Chara. I have something that you might like.", Ms. Clem said, and she entered the back room.

When she came back, she held out a warm, spring green coat with a pastel yellow stripe across the stomach. "Try this on. You can't be walking around outside without warm clothes. You'll get sick.", Ms. Clem warned, and she gave Chara the coat. Chara put the coat on, marveling at how soft the inside was. Ms. Clem smiled. "Take it. It's yours. It suits you, really.", Ms. Clem said, and Chara gasped. "Huh!? But, Ms. Clem, I can see letting me have the cinnamon roll, but a brand new winter coat? I couldn't possibly-", Chara was cut off as Ms. Clem held her hand up. "I insist. You don't know it, but you have just given me more than I could ever hope to repay you.", she replied, and Chara blinked, looking down at the coat again. They smiled, their eyes watering. "Thank you, Ms. Clem. You're really nice.", Chara cooed, and Ms. Clem smiled. "Not as often as I should be, but I'm going to fix that, thanks to you.", she replied, and Chara smiled widely. "Heehee, you're welcome!", they chirped, and they sighed. "I think it's time for me to go back to MarshLily...", they admitted, and Ms. Clem sighed as well. "Well, come back again sometime soon. I'd love to talk to you again.", Ms. Clem admitted, and Chara smiled. "I'd like that, too!", they made to leave, but they turned around first. "Bye, Ms. Clem! Have a nice day!", they chirped, and they waved as they left. "To you as well!", Ms. Clem called, and she watched through the window as Chara left.

Seven years later, Ms. Clem's number one customer returned with a friend.

Ms. Clem smiled as Chara walked through the door, making the bell ring. "Good morning, Ms. Clem! How are you today?", Chara asked, leaning on the counter. Ms. Clem chuckled. "Very good. So, how's the pride and joy of the Underground doing today? I heard that the barrier is broken.", Ms. Clem revealed, and Chara grinned. "It is! Sans somehow broke it!", they chirped, and Ms. Clem nodded. "I believe it. Oh, speaking of which.", Ms. Clem said, and Sans entered the shop. "There you are, Chara. You have to warn me before you take off like that.", Sans chuckled, and Chara giggled. "I had to see Ms. Clem, though! She's like, my third favorite person!", they exclaimed, and Ms. Clem chuckled. "How did that bandana serve you, Sans?", she inquired, and Sans chuckled. "Very well, and I made your niece knows it. So, you know Chara?", Sans asked, and both Ms. Clem and Chara scoffed. " _Know Chara?_ Chara is my best customer! I think that over the past seven years, Chara has visited me more than any of my other customers. I have counted for the past three years, and in that little amount of time, Chara has bought over 30,000 dollars worth of my wares. Mostly cinnamon rolls for them and the occasional creamsicle for their mother.", Ms. Clem revealed, and Chara giggled. "Wow, I didn't know it was that much! Heehee, Apollo would probably pass out if he heard those numbers!", Chara chirped, and they giggled as the warrior pressed a finger against the window. "No, I wouldn't!", Apollo protested, and Chara sneered. "What's 12 times 7?", they asked, and Apollo paused. "Uhh...", he drifted off, and Chara giggled.

"Like I said.", they pointed out, and Ms. Clem chuckled. Apollo rolled his eye. "Hey, Chara! There's a present under the tree for you!", Apollo pointed out, and Chara gasped. "Really!? Cool! I'll be right back, Ms. Clem!", they chirped, and Ms. Clem sighed happily. "They seem excited.", Sans chuckled, and Ms. Clem smiled. "They'll be even happier when they see what it is.", she replied, and Sans looked at her. "Is it from you?", he inquired, and Ms. Clem nodded. "My brother, niece and I, actually. But yes, it was my idea. Oh, here they come.", Ms. Clem said, and Chara burst in, grinning wider than Sans had ever seen them.

They were holding a brass staff with flower patterns engraved into it and one of the star-like crystals from the ceiling in MarshLily in the top of it, which was glowing a soft teal color. "Ms. Clem! I love it! Thank you so much!", they squealed, leaping over the counter and hugging the shop keeper tightly. Ms. Clem chuckled. "I knew you'd love it.", she crooned, and Chara giggled with pure elation. "Well, yeah! You even had my bullet pattern engraved on it! And there's a crystal from MarshLily and- Oh, my gosh! Thank you!!!", Chara squealed again, and Ms. Clem sighed happily.

Several human had been talking about staying in the Underground despite the barrier being broken because they simply loved their home and didn't want to be around too many monsters too fast. As such, Queen Kennedy would most likely still live in the Underground with her family, including Chara. And for them... Ms. Clem would stay as well. They were the reason she had hope. They had saved her life, really.

And she loved them to no end.


	7. Apollo's First Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apollo has had enough with his school bullies. Especially the leader, who has made fun of him for years, humiliating him at every turn.  
> So, when this thirteen-year-old stands up for himself and finally succeeds...  
> Someone falls head-over-heels for the young prince.  
> But with all he's done...  
> Will Apollo love him back?

Apollo sighed contently as he put his finished homework into his backpack. He leaned his elbows on the school picnic table he was sitting at in the shade of a tree, who's leaves kept away the artificial lighting that was in the school play yard.

"Well, well, well, look who it is! It's _Stringbean!_ ", a taunting voice called, and Apollo sighed as he heard the bullies' laughter. He turned to the group as they approached, obviously looking for a good laugh out of Apollo. He glared at the leader, who was sneering. "What do you want, _Prick?_ ", Apollo huffed, and the bully growled. "My name is _Rick._ I'm sure you remember what happened the _last_ time you called me that, yes?", Rick asked, and Apollo narrowed his eyes. "I remember _very_ well, thank you. But that's not going to happen this time.", Apollo grumbled, and Rick scoffed, looking to his friends, who seemed amused as well. Rick turned back to Apollo. "Oh, isn't it?", Rick inquired, and Apollo smiled. "I'm not scared of you anymore. This time, I'm standing up to you, PRICK! If you want trouble, then you've finally found it!", Apollo exclaimed, and Rick laughed mockingly. "Uh-huh, _sure._ Alright, Stringbean, _let's dance._ ", Rick chuckled.

Apollo stood up, standing across from Rick. The two began to circle each other while Rick's posse watched, cheering Rick on.

Rick swung a haymaker at Apollo's head, and the prince caught it with both hands. They had a power-struggle for a few moments before Apollo threw it down. Rick was a little shocked but shook it off. He couldn't let one bad punch get to him. He threw a jab at Apollo's stomach, but he missed as Apollo jumped back. He made a few more jabs but Apollo continued to get out of his way. Rick huffed. "Stay still!", he yelled, and Apollo scoffed. "Not this time!", he declared, and he threw a jab at Rick's... well, groin, which Rick effortlessly blocked. But Apollo swiftly swung his other hand at Rick's face, hitting him square in the jaw. The posse gasped. Rick stumbled back, having been shocked into silence. He felt the sore spot on his jaw, wincing as he touched the tender area. He growled, glaring at Apollo.

" _You're going to pay for **that** , Stringbean._", Rick snarled, and Apollo smiled. "Then come and make me, _Prick!_ ", he challenged, and he dodged out of the way as Rick charged at him. Apollo kicked Rick's rump as he passed by, knocking the bully into the dirt. Rick's posse was stunned. Rick grunted as he tried to push himself up. "Well, come on, _Prick_! You're not gonna let Stringbean bet ya, are you? Show me what you're _really_ made of!", Apollo urged, and Rick growled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Don't get so cocky, Stringbean. So what if you learned a few moves? That doesn't equal a victory! I'm gonna win.", Rick huffed, and the two circled each other again.

Apollo sneered as he saw a bruise form on Rick's jaw where his fist had hit him. "Nice hickey, Prick. Looks like your face's and my fist's relationship is getting serious. Which is good, because they'll be seeing a lot more of each other.", Apollo laughed, and Rick growled as he swung another jab at Apollo's stomach. Apollo dodged, but Rick's fist still hit his arm. That doesn't mean it slowed him down. Apollo swung three faux jabs at Rick's stomach, making the bully back away to avoid punches that would have never hit him. Rick swung another haymaker at Apollo, but his aim was off, so he only hit Apollo's shoulder. Apollo swung a haymaker at Rick's head as well, which Rick blocked with both hands.

Which left him vulnerable to a swift punch to the eye from Apollo's other hand. Rick yelled in pain as he stumbled back, holding his eye. He could already feel it swelling. He looked up at Apollo. Maybe... maybe he had underestimated his capabilities... No, no! His _girlfriend_ was watching! Everyone was! He couldn't lose to _Stringbean!_ He'd lose his reputation! He'd be mocked and scorned! His girlfriend would probably break up with him! He had to win!

Rick leaped forward and punched Apollo in the chest, but the prince was steady on his feet as he simply copied the punch, hitting Rick in his sternum. Rick grunted but punched Apollo in the leg. Apollo took a few steps back. Rick tried to step forward and take advantage of this, but he gasped as Apollo jumped forward and swiftly hit Rick right under his ribcage, taking his breath away. Then, the prince hit Rick in his shoulder below his collarbone and then kicked his shin. Rick stumbled to the ground but was still huffing and puffing from getting the wind knocked out of him.

Apollo leaped at his opportunity, taking Rick's arm and flipping the bully onto his stomach. He planted a foot on Rick's lower back. He grabbed Rick's hands and pulled them towards him, making Rick yell out in pain. He dropped Rick, then sitting on Rick's legs as he pinned the bully down again, holding Rick's arms behind his back in quite an uncomfortable way. 

Rick struggled but Apollo remained firm. He squirmed, wriggled, and grumbled swears as he tried to shake Apollo off... but nothing happened.

He sighed, laying his head on the ground as he realized that he had finally lost.

The posse was shocked to their souls. Rick. Undefeated Rick had been beaten up and pinned down by _Stringbean_ of all people! The weakest kid in school! Rick's girlfriend blinked before snickering. Then, she began to laugh. As did the rest of the onlookers. Rick felt his eyes water from both the physical and emotional pain. He was a laughing stock.

Apollo sighed. Of course. As soon as their "friend" lost one fight, he was a joke. Rick had hung out with the wrong crowd. Well... it was doubtful that they would be hanging out with him anymore after this. A part of him felt bad for Rick. But he had to make sure the bully didn't mess with him again.

"So, Prick... What have we learned today?", Apollo asked, and Rick growled. "F-Fu-huck... you...", he breathed, and Apollo smiled. "Now, that's not very _nice!_ ", Apollo pressed Rick into the dirt, making the bully grunt. He loosened up. "Now, I'll ask you again. _What have we learned today?_ ", Apollo repeated, and Rick spat dirt out of his mouth but remained silent. "Aww, come on, Ricky~ Where's that lovely smile you were wearing earlier? I miss it. Come on, I know you like to talk during class... So what's stopping you from talking now?", Apollo inquired, and Rick sighed but still didn't speak. Apollo hummed with thought. "Hmm... maybe you aren't quite sure what we've learned today. Or... maybe you just don't want to say it aloud.", Apollo pointed out, and the posse giggled. "I think that we've learned that I'm not gonna take any more of your _crap._ I am perfectly capable of defending myself from you or anyone, okay? And I can beat you pretty quickly. Also, you didn't choose the best allies, did ya?", Apollo asked, and Rick sighed once more as he nodded. "Great. Also... if I see you bullying anyone or hear of you bullying anyone ever again... We'll repeat this. Got it?", Apollo inquired, and Rick nodded again.

"I'm glad we understand each other.", Apollo sighed.

"Mr. Simmons! Mr. Merenge! My office! _NOW!_ ", the principle called, and both Rick and Apollo grimaced. "Well, Prick, that's our cue. Come on.", Apollo urged, and he got off of Rick. Rick pushed himself off of the ground, brushing himself off and following Apollo to the principle. She looked down at them with anger and disappointment in her eyes as she pointed to her office. Both boys entered and sat down in front of her desk.

A little while later, Kennedy entered the principle's office. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. Please, have a seat.", the principle encouraged, and Apollo shamefully got out of his seat to allow his mother to sit. Kennedy looked to the parents of Rick who were sitting next to her, then back to the principle. "So, you have informed me that Apollo is in trouble. What has happened, Mrs. White?", Kennedy inquired, and Mrs. White sighed. "Apollo got into a fight with Rick Merenge at recess today. According to witnesses, he was seen punching Rick several times and even pinning him on the ground and threatening him. He was heard teasing and mocking Rick as well.", Mrs. White explained. Kennedy looked over to Rick and his family. She felt a stab of pity for Rick as she saw his black eye and bruised jaw. And judging by how he was trying not to breathe too deeply, he was probably bruised on his chest as well.

"So, you are saying that you would like me to punish my son, yes?", Kennedy asked, and both of Rick's parents and Mrs. White nodded. "Yes. He will also be given out-of-school suspension for three days.", Mrs. White revealed, and Kennedy sighed. "Alright... So... Can I hear about _how_ this fight started? I have found over the years that getting all the details is rather important.", Kennedy explained, and Mrs. White turned to Rick. "Go ahead, Rick.", she urged, and Kennedy turned to face the child. Rick looked up at her. He gulped nervously as he stared into the eyes of the Queen of Humanity. The one who was fighting to free them all. The one who kept the Underground in a state of peace and relative prosperity.

He could lie to many adults. He had lied to several adults. But he could not and would not lie to someone who had sacrificed so much for all of the humans in the Underground.

"I... I was going up to Apollo with my... ex-friends to make fun of him. I called him 'Stringbean,' like I always do. He called me 'Prick,' like he typically does. I got angry and threatened to beat him up like I did the last time he called me that. He stood up to me, saying that he wasn't afraid of me anymore and that if I was looking for trouble that I had found it. Then we started to fight. I tried to hit him a few times, but he blocked me and dodged me. I was really surprised because he's never done that before. Then, he faked me out and hit me in the jaw. I got even angrier. I tried to get him but he knocked me into the dirt. I got up and he taunted me. Then, we traded a few hits before he hit me in the eye and knocked me back. I hit him a few times and he hit me in the stomach and a few other places, knocking me down. And then he pinned me and won. My friends all laughed at me... My girlfriend is probably going to break up with me... Apollo teased me a bit and warned me that if I ever bully anyone again that he would beat me up again. Then, Mrs. White called us to her office.", Rick recalled, and his parents seemed to be very disappointed. Kennedy smiled at the child and nodded. "Thank you, Rick. Apollo, is this true?", Kennedy inquired, and her son nodded. "Yes, ma'am. He told the truth.", Apollo replied, and Kennedy nodded. "Thank you for being honest, Rick.", Kennedy said, and Rick nodded. "I don't want to lie to you, Your Majesty.", he replied.

Kennedy turned to Mrs. White. "So, why should I punish my son?", she inquired, and the principle blinked. "Because he got into a fight and hit another student.", Mrs. White pointed out, and Kennedy nodded. "Yes, I am well aware of that. My son finally stood up for himself after being bullied for years by Rick. He defended himself. He finally and effectively got Rick to learn that he would not be pushed around anymore, nor would he allow Rick to bully anyone else. He has taught Rick a very clear lesson. A lesson that has not been enforced by any adult in this school as far as I know. Apollo has been bullied by Rick before I even adopted him when he was seven. A few years before that, in fact. Rick, his friends, and basically the entire school had made fun of Apollo for being small, frail, and sickly from living on the streets. For being so weak that he could not beat the smallest girl in school in arm wrestling. Then, they challenged Apollo to fight me when they knew he could not win, recording it, and humiliating him for it. I cannot count a number of times he has come home with bruises because he was bullied. And every time, he has begged me not to intervene so that he would not be mocked for having his mother step in. And now, he has finally been able to stand up for himself. You expect me to punish him for finally stopping Rick after years of being bullied by him?", Kennedy asked, and the room was silent.

"Yes, Your Highness. While I expect Rick to be punished as well, Apollo should not have resorted to violence. There are always other ways to solve problems without violence. Violence is _never_ the answer. Nothing can be solved with violence.", the principle explained, and Rick raised his hand. "Rick, it's not your turn.", his father stated, but Rick sighed. "Sorry, but I need to say this.", he said, and his father gestured for him to speak. "I can confirm that I wouldn't have stopped if Apollo hadn't fought me. I should know, a lot of kids have tried to be civil. I'm kind of glad Apollo fought me. It kind of showed me how much of a jerk I was. So... I never thought I would say this... but thank you, Apollo.", Rick breathed, looking into Apollo's eyes. Apollo blinked in shock. He smiled kindly at his former bully. "You're welcome, Rick.", he replied. The principle sighed. "Rick, Apollo, that isn't right. You should not encourage violence. Violence doesn't solve anything.", Mrs. White insisted, and Apollo huffed.

"Yeah, because when humans didn't fight back in the War Between Monsters and Humans that just turned out swell for us. I mean, isn't the lack of sunlight great?", he asked, and Mrs. White seemed shocked by the disrespect. "Yeah, and it's not like Her Majesty hasn't had to steal the souls of six monsters so that she can break the barrier and teach Monster Kind a lesson for imprisoning us. No, she should be kicked out of the castle.", Rick continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Mrs. White looked to the parents of both children to see if they would stop the disrespect but Rick's parents seemed a little annoyed that she wasn't listening to Rick, and Kennedy seemed a little annoyed herself. "Yes, and screw those Royal Guards for fighting for our freedom every day! They are so barbaric! They should be imprisoned.", Apollo stated sarcastically. "Yeah, and it's not like people should feel entitled to be able to defend themselves when someone attacks them physically. No, Apollo should have just talked me down as I punched him in the face.", Rick declared, and Apollo nodded. "Yeah, sorry, Rick. I was way out of line. Also, I think the same thing goes for when people are being attacked verbally. People should just let people insult them without telling them not to. It's just great.", Apollo laughed, and Rick followed suit.

Their parents laughed as well. "Well, Mrs. White, I think you can see that this meeting is over. If you don't mind, I am going to take my son out for ice cream. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Merenge. It was also nice to meet you as well, Rick. I hope we can talk again sometime.", Kennedy said, standing up. Rick's parents stood as well. "So do we, Your Highness. We are very sorry that Rick has caused Apollo so much grief, and we assure you, he is _very_ grounded.", Mrs. Merenge grumbled, and Rick nodded solemnly. Apollo smiled. "It's alright, Mrs. Merenge. After all, if it weren't for him, Mom wouldn't have adopted me. Without that, I'd still be living on the streets. So, thanks, Rick. You gave me a family and love.", Apollo sighed happily as Kennedy lightly kissed him on the head. Rick smiled as well. "Nah, I deserve it, Apollo. Trust me. But you're welcome for sending you to fight the queen.", Rick and Apollo shared a few laughs.

"Come along, my child. We have some ice cream to buy.", Kennedy cooed as she exited the room. "Awesome! Bye, Rick! See ya in three days!", Apollo chirped, waving to his former bully as he left the room. Rick blinked, but smiled. "See you then!", he called, and he looked up at his parents as they all walked out of the room. "Can I get grounded now?", he asked, and his parents seemed confused. "You _want_ to be grounded?", his father inquired, and Rick nodded. "I deserve it. I really do feel bad about everything I've done, and I want to feel like I've paid the price for it. 'Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.', right? Well, it's about time I served my time. And I'll sit in my room without anything I find enjoyable and smile because I deserve that boredom. I'm so sorry for lying to you guys, so I'll do anything to make it up to you. Really! Chores, errands, you name it, and it's done.", Rick assured, and his parents smiled. "I'm glad that you see that this behavior is unacceptable. Come on, let's go home.", his mother urged, and Rick followed them with a newfound attitude.

Four days later, Rick was sitting alone at recess. His suspicions about his posse had been correct. He hadn't even attempted to sit with them at lunch and they had laughed at him. His girlfriend was already with somebody else, as well. He was just having a bad day in general. He sniffled, a big, fat tear rolling off of the tip of his nose. He deserved this, he knew that, but it still stung.

He jumped as somebody sat next to him rather enthusiastically. "How's it going, Prick?", Apollo asked, opening his backpack and pulling out his homework. Rick blinked. "Apollo? What are you doing over here? Why aren't you in your usual place?", Rick inquired, and Apollo smiled. "Because you looked lonely over here! And you're crying.", Apollo pointed out, and Rick sighed as he wiped his tears away. "What do you want?", he asked, and Apollo raised an eyebrow. "I wanna hang out, ya doofus.", Apollo replied, and Rick raised an eyebrow. " _Why?_ Why would you do that after everything I've done? Don't you hate me? Don't you- something? I made your life miserable for years! Why do you want to hang out with me!?", Rick exclaimed, and Apollo chuckled. Rick narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?", he asked, and Apollo smiled. "Dude. We're like- thirteen years old. We have maybe... seventy or eighty more years left in our lives. What's the point of me holding a grudge with you for the rest of time? People change, you've changed! I can't be angry if you're not the same person you were, can I?", Apollo asked, and Rick blinked. He sighed, a light blush coating his cheeks. "The queen is way too good of an influence on you.", Rick chuckled, and Apollo rolled his eyes. "Just call her my mom.", he replied, and Rick smiled. "Alright. Hey, what's that?", Rick asked, pointing to a doodle in the corner of Apollo's notes.

"Oh, that? It's a sword. That one on the other corner is a bow and arrow, and there're some armor pieces on another page in my journal.", Apollo explained, and Rick tilted his head in curiosity. "Huh. What's with all that?", Rick inquired, and Apollo grinned proudly. "Well, these notes are from the last few days at home, right? Well... after my mom got me ice cream, she asked me a few things. Like if I felt good that you were probably going to lose your reputation and friends. I, of course, said 'no.' Then she asked me a few questions about why I stood up to you. I replied that I wanted you to stop bullying and that I was just- done. But that I also wanted to beat you so that I could show that I could beat you. So that if you tried to hurt any other kids again, I could stop you. I wanted to help other kids, maybe more than myself...", Apollo sighed before continuing. 

"She asked me about what I thought about her mission to free everyone and punish the monsters. I replied that monsters needed to pay for everything they've done to us and that it wasn't right for us to be unable to see the sunlight and for her to have two dead siblings because we showed them mercy. She asked how willing I was to stand up for people who needed help or just helping the community in general. I told her the truth. Very.", Apollo revealed, and Rick nodded. "So... she asked me if I was interested in possibly being a part of the Royal Guard. I said, 'yes.' So, she asked if I wanted her to train me to be in the Royal Guard. I said, 'yes.' So... from now on... she's going to be giving me some different training, and when I grow up, I can be a Royal Guardsman.", Apollo revealed, and Rick gasped. "Wow! That's awesome! Congrats!", he chirped, and Apollo grinned. "I know, right? Maybe one day, I can be the Captain! I'll be able to help my mom collect the final monster soul!", Apollo exclaimed, and Rick grinned. He sighed once more, staing at his hands. Apollo frowned.

"What's wrong?", Apollo inquired, and Rick sighed again as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Please don't hate me.", Rick murmured, and Apollo smiled. "I thought I just told you that I wouldn't.", he replied, but Rick shook his head. "It's not that, I just- Look. I... I want us to be friends. I don't care if you don't- don't see me how I see you, but I can't hide this or it will eat me alive. I don't want to ruin what we've literally just started.", Rick sighed, and Apollo looked concerned. "Just come clean, Rick.", Apollo urged, and Rick sighed. "Fine. I... I... I like you, Apollo. Like... like-like you. A lot.", Rick admitted, and Apollo blushed brightly. "I- uh- wow. Uh... since when? I thought... I thought you liked girls? Hence the girlfriend?", Apollo pointed out, and Rick sighed. "One, _ex-girlfriend._ Two, that's what I had thought... but when we were being sassy with Mrs. White and had fun... I realized that... I liked you a lot more than I ever liked... any girl. Then, I realized as I was walking home... and I saw some other boys... that they were a lot better than any girls. So- Now I know that I am really, really... gay.", Rick sighed, and Apollo looked into his watering eyes.

Rick blushed as Apollo leaned closer to him. Apollo scooted closer to him, and Rick's eyes widened as Apollo's lips met his own in a soft kiss. Rick slowly felt himself melt into the kiss, closing his eyes. Apollo placed his hands on Rick's waist, and Rick wrapped his arms around Apollo's shoulders. Apollo pulled out of the kiss, and Rick looked into his eyes. "So am I.", Apollo breathed, and Rick blushed brightly.

"C-Cool.", Rick stuttered, completely flustered. He gulped. "Want to- Would you- Do you want to go on a date sometime?", Rick asked, and Apollo smirked, leaning on Rick. "I don't know... Do you want to be my boyfriend sometime?", Apollo inquired, and Rick blushed as Apollo's lips brushed his own again. "Y-Yeah...", Rick replied, and Apollo chuckled. "Nice. So... how does seven o' clock tomorrow afternoon work for you? You can meet me at the Quiet Area in MarshLily. Y'know, next to the trash zone?", Apollo asked, and Rick smiled giddily as he nodded. "I'll have to ask my parents... but I would like that... Here's... um... my number... call me... so I have yours... I- wow.", Rick stuttered, and Apollo chuckled. "New to this?", he inquired, and Rick nodded. "Yeah... At least, with a guy... I'm assuming that you have done this before?", Rick asked, and Apollo scoffed. "Nope, never. But I'm in a good mood, I'll probably freak out later when I tell my mom that I'm gay.", Apollo admitted, and Rick paled. "Forgot about that.", he sighed, and Apollo chuckled. "We'll get through it.", Apollo assured, and both boys blinked as the school bell rang. 

"Well, I'll call you, Prick! See you tomorrow!", Apollo packed up his things, and Rick blushed as Apollo kissed his cheek before running off to find his mother. Rick sighed, leaning his head on his elbow.

This would be hard to explain to his parents.

Chara blinked as Apollo leaned back with a smile and Rick chuckled. "So, you two _dated?_ Wow, you think you know someone...", Chara giggled, and Albert chuckled. Sofia turned to the scientist. "So, Al, who's your first boyfriend?", she inquired, and Albert blushed. "Actually, it's Apollo.", he revealed, and Apollo blushed. "Aww, I'm honored. I love you, Albie~", the warrior crooned as he nuzzled Albert's neck, making the scientist wriggle and squirm as he cooed softly. "Oh, get a room, Apollo.", Rick huffed as he rolled his eyes. Apollo smirked. "I have a room. You guys just happen to be in it at the same time.", he replied, and he laughed as Rick punched him in the shoulder. "So, if Apollo's your first boyfriend, who was your first girlfriend?", Jason asked, and Albert hummed in thought.

"This girl that I met in middle school named 'Sally Evans.' We dated for about... six months after she dumped her boyfriend.", Albert explained, and Apollo hummed. "Oh, I think I remember that name. Prick, did we go to school with a 'Sally Evans?' Uh... Prick? Rick? Are you alright?", Apollo asked, and Rick had gone dead silent. Rick looked at Albert. " _You_ were the nerd that she dumped me for!? That was my girlfriend that dumped me after Apollo kicked my ass!", Rick revealed, and Apollo burst into laughter. Kennedy giggled. "Oh, dear... She dumps you for getting beat up by the 'weakest' child in school and dates a nerd instead. The hottest of burns.", Kennedy chuckled, and Sans rolled his eye lights. "Wow, Al, you got the most popular girl in school? Oh, yeah! I remember! You were the sixth grader she dated!", Apollo exclaimed, and Albert blushed. "Well, yeah. She actually liked me, apparently. We're still pretty good friends.", Albert revealed, and Rick grumbled. He stood up. 

"I need a drink. Anyone want something from Stanley's?", Rick asked, and Chara gasped. "Oh! Me! I want some apple juice, please!", they chirped, and Rick nodded. "Hey, if you could get me a burger and some ranch, that'd be great.", Sofia pointed out, and Rick wrote it down on his phone. "Anyone else?", he asked, and Apollo grinned. "I want the greasiest fries he's got.", he replied, and Sans raised a browbone. "And this is what's coming from the health nut?", he asked, and Apollo narrowed his eye at the monster. "Hey! I might be picky about eating healthy, but I want some junk food sometimes!", Apollo huffed, and Rick laughed. "It's alright, Apollo. I gotcha.", he replied, and Sans looked to the teacher. "Also, some ketchup and a burger would be greatly appreciated, please.", the skeleton said, and Rick nodded. "Ms. Simmons, you want anything?", Rick questioned, and Kennedy shrugged. "Why not? I will have two burgers and some fries. Oh, and could you please get me a creamsicle from the shop at the end of town? Thank you.", Kennedy grinned, and Sans raised a browbone. "That's a lot of food! You can eat that? I have no stomach and I can't eat that.", he chuckled, and Kennedy rolled her eyes. "A human's soul is directly connected to their body. Having a stronger soul does mean having a stronger body, but I need a lot of energy to keep it working. So, yes, I can eat that.", Kennedy revealed, and Sans shrugged. "Cool. Can I have a fry or two?", he asked, and Kennedy crooned. "Of course, you can.", Kennedy kissed Sans' forehead. The skeleton sighed. 

"Alright, anything else?", Rick asked, but the room was silent. "Cool. I need money for the orders.", everyone gave their respective pay to Rick, who chuckled. "Alright, I'm off! I'll be back in two shakes of Apollo's ass!", Rick yelled as he left the room, and Apollo almost choked on his water. He glared at the door. " _Damn you, Prick!_ ", he called after his friend, who laughed loudly as he left.

Albert giggled, kissing the warrior's chin and making him blush. Apollo sighed. 

His relationship with Rick had ended years ago... but he wouldn't trade his new one with Albert for the sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apple and Albie~ Sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!  
> Also, if you didn't know, Albert is bisexual and Apollo is gay.  
> Also, Albert had a crush on Kennedy, just like how Alphys had a crush on Asgore.  
> Only it was a lot more awkward for him.  
> He's over it now.  
> By the way, Rick is the first person that Apollo ever called 'Prick.'  
> He started that trend.


	8. Sorry for the lack of updates!

School has been kicking my butt lately, and I have the PSAT this Wednesday, so it's unlikely that I'll get much writing done. But...

BUT.

I have gotten a new computer recently, and I have MS Paint on it, which I have been using to draw some of my characters! And I'm actually kinda impressed with the amount of detail I have been able to put into these drawings! So I'll find a way for you guys to see them soon!

Thank you all for being so patient!


	9. Meanwhile... In another timeline...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Determination.  
> (Spoilers for the Undertale Genocide Route)

The monster entered the golden hallway, a sick joy in their heart at how they had scared their brother.

They SAVED, walking down the hallway until they saw Sofia.

"Hello. How's it going? Being a murderous and horrible person as enjoyable as you thought it would be? Don't answer that.", Sofia huffed, and the monster grinned widely.

Did this lazy woman really think she could defeat it? It had already killed Apollo after he had defied death, how could Sofia defeat them?

"So. This is probably a not a good time, but can I ask you a question?", Sofia inquired, and the monster simply looked at her in amusement. "Alright, I'll take that as a yes.", Sofia shrugged, and she took a deep breath.

"Do you think that everyone deserves a second chance?", Sofia asked, and the monster scoffed quietly, making a flare of rage burn in Sofia's soul, but she hid it well. "That no matter what they do... or who they are... that they can turn a new leaf?", she continued, and the monster huffed.

Now they were bored.  
They took a step forward.

Sofia chuckled.

"Okay, I get it. You're not a talker. Here's another question.", Sofia took a deep breath.  
She looked up, her pupils and irises gone, leaving only the eye whites.  
" **Do you believe in hell? Because if you come any closer, I'll make sure that your very existence will make hell seem like a lunch break.** ", Sofia warned.  
The monster raised a browbone.

Wow. _Really?_ This was humanity's final defense?  
They took a step closer.

"Alright. Sorry, door lady. This is why I never make promises.", she sighed, and she took a deep breath as everything around both her and the monster seemed to disappear.

"It's a beautiful day outside.", Sofia began, and the monster smirked.  
"Birds are silent.", Sofia continued, and the monster took a glance at the knife that their brother had given them when they were still allies.  
"Dust fills the air, settling on the blooming flowers.", Sofia described, her eyes still closed.  
"On days like this, where everyone is dead because of you... and their blood soaks your hands... and their dust clings to your clothes...", Sofia took one last deep breath, and the monster gripped their knife tightly.  
"People like me...", Sofia smiled a bit.  
She opened her eyes, showing only her eye whites.

" ** _Finally do something about it._** "

The monster's soul turned blue, and with a wave of Sofia's hand, they were slammed into the ground, feathers draining their very life until they jumped out of the way. Before they could even collect their thoughts, their soul returned to normal as waves of feathers practically burned them alive. Then, Sofia summoned things akin to bird skulls, which flew in, opening their beaks widely as bright light poured from their maws, burning the monster as it screamed in pain, though they were enjoying this surprise greatly.

Their soul cracked, then shattered as they died, a soft voice echoing through their head.  
"You cannot give up just yet... Frisk! Stay determined!", Kennedy urged, the monster's memories of being on their death bed emerging.

But the words felt empty to them now.  
They had only one goal.  
And no one, not even Jake, would stop them from achieving it.

Frisk LOADED their Save Point, coming back to the hallway. They grinned as they felt the true owner of the soul cry out in protest, begging them to change their mind.  
But it was far too late. Frisk had lost their ability to love a long time ago. And now, with their high LOVE...  
There was no erasing the darkness in their heart.  
They giggled.  
They were filled with DETERMINATION.

Sans, however, was not.

+Apollo the Assiduous AU: COMING SOON+

+EXPECTED RELEASE DATE; December-January+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to be posting chapters to the Apollo the Assiduous AU soon.  
> This AU is NOT CANON TO LOSTDT!TALE!!!  
> It is a Genocide Route AU, taking place in another timeline, not the true timeline of LostDT!Tale.  
> It does contain spoilers to the Undertale Genocide Route, so please watch or play it before reading it!  
> Or don't. I'm certainly not playing that route. (Meaning I tried but rage quit.)
> 
> But, the prologue will be released soon, but first, I have some other plans...  
> Hope you like it!


	10. In This Timeline... Coming Soon...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> +Oh, dear. Frisk, get the ghost popcorn, this doesn't look like it's gonna end well.  
> "Uncle Jakey, have you no faith in us?"  
> +No, I do.  
> +I just have this sinking feeling that we're in for a rough ride.  
> "Like before Mom tells a bad joke?"  
> +Yeah, actually.  
> "So... you think we're gonna have... a _bad time?_  
>  +There we go.

The twenty-five-year-old monster giggled to herself. She turned to the living attack, a floating, animal-like skull that acted somewhat like a dog, and yet had the intelligence of the monster herself.

"Are you ready Pansy? Because once we do this...", the monster grinned as she held up the water balloon. "He isn't gonna be too happy about it! We need to get in and _out._ Got it?", the monster asked, and the skull nodded, tilting itself to simulate the action despite having no neck. "Alright. By the way, Pansy, if we get out of this without getting shocked... I'll give you the whole container of sprinkles.", the monster cooed, and the Pansy gasped, flying in a few circles excitedly. The monster giggled. "Good girl. Alright.", the monster's eye lights disappeared, leaving only the dark pits of her eye sockets as she brushed her long, brown hair out of her face. She giggled.

" _Someone's about to get dunked._ "

The human sighed, casually taking off his makeup. He had a nice time at work, the bachelorette had tipped him generously for his services, and that always made his day. "Hey, Troilus, can you hand me my muumuu?", the human asked the blue Dusk Phoenix, who flew over to his dresser and opened it, chittering at him in a questioning manner. "Hmm... the green one, please.", the human replied, and the Phoenix shuffled around in the drawer for a moment before pulling out the requested item of clothing, flying over to his human companion and dropping in on the back of his chair. The human smiled. "Thanks, buddy. Here, you've been a real pal today.", the human opened a small container that was sitting on his makeup armoire vanity. He pulled a few blueberries out of the container, holding them out to the Phoenix, who was now sitting in his tidy nest. The Phoenix chirped gratefully, eating the berries one at a time. When he was finished, he nuzzled the human's hand, allowing him to pet him. 

The human stood up, taking his muumuu and taking off his clothes aside from his boxers, then pulling on the light dress. He sighed happily. He never failed to appreciate the simple comfort of a muumuu after a long day of work. He sighed as he put his costume in the laundry hamper. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was a favorite among his customers. Who didn't like a hot guy dressed as a cop for a bachelorette party? The human hadn't heard a complaint yet.

But that didn't mean he didn't find feminine clothing more comfortable. Ever since he was seven, the human had loved to dress in "girl's" clothing. His aunt, who was a year younger than him, had invited him to a tea party, and he had gladly attended. When she had started to pull out the dress up clothes, he had spotted a pretty, glittery, pink dress among the store, and had requested to try it on. His aunt hadn't seen a problem with it, so she had let him, even offering to give him a full makeover, shoes, feather boa, makeup, and everything. He had accepted.

Needless to say, his fathers hadn't expected it, but they accepted him for it. The human smiled. Dresses and makeup just made him feel pretty. And luckily, he had even found a girlfriend who accepted that fact. Life was good, and so were gummy bears! The human grinned excitedly as Troilus held out the bag of candy for him that he had bought when the human hadn't noticed. "Aww, thanks, pal. You're so sweet.", the human sighed as he took the bag of bears, scratching the bird under his chin.

He was about to open the bag when something fell on his head, soaking him.

He and Troilus were soaked in water. The human heard loud laughter from his doorway, and he whipped around just in time to see two eye lights disappear as the Gaster Blaster flew out of the room. 

The human growled, feeling his rage boil to the surface. He dropped the bag of candy, unable to hold it due to his shaking hands. His hands began to crackle with electricity as he lost control of it.

He stomped his foot in anger, glaring at the door as his arms buzzed with electricity. Troilus cawed in anger as well, the flaming bird despising water. "WRAAAAA!!! _AUNT BUBBLEGUM!!!_ YOU ARE DONE FOR!!!", the human ran after his aunt, the Phoenix not far behind him.

The human-monster hybrid giggled to themselves as they fed a little songbird in the window some birdseed from their paws. Their red eyes sparkled as the little bird chirped happily at the little human-monster hybrid, grateful for kind and generous people like them. The little bird chirped, flying up to the top of the child's head, perching on one of their short horns. The hybrid giggled, looking up even though they knew that they couldn't see the bird. "Heehee... You're welcome, birdy! You looked hungry!", they cooed, and the bird chittered, leaning down as it began to preen the child's long, chocolate brown hair. They smiled, closing their eyes as they laid their head peacefully on the windowsill as a happy purr filled the air.

They couldn't resist stretching out their paws as they began to knead the air, their claws revealing themselves for a moment or two as they did. The hybrid scratched their long goat ears a bit, getting rid of a pesky itch that was bothering them. Their little tail wiggled softly as they were filled with a feeling of pure bliss, and they opened their mouth to let out a quiet bleat. The bird chirped happily as it made the hybrid happy.

The bird had been confused when they had seen the hybrid at first. Their face, neck, and upper arms seemed human, and now that they could see more of the hybrid, so did their upper legs. But they had paws instead of hands and feet, goat horns, goat ears, and a goat tail! But the bird didn't mind. The hybrid had food, and seemed perfectly happy to let the bird clean them.

Both the hybrid and the bird paused as they both heard angry yells from elsewhere in the castle. 

A monster ran into the room, a floating skull attack following her. She huffed and puffed, laughing loudly. The hybrid giggled. "Aunt Bubblegum, did you and Pansy prank Vega again?", the child asked, and the monster giggled, her eye lights glittering mischievously. "Maybe... Who wants to know?", she asked, and the hybrid giggled as the little bird landed in their lap, allowing the hybrid to gently pet her. "Bad, Auntie, bad.", the hybrid scolded jokingly, and the monster pouted, but she was still smiling. "Aww, come on, Chariel... You aren't gonna tell my Mom and Dad, are ya? I know Dad won't really care, but Mom probably won't be too happy about it.", Bubblegum sighed, and Chariel gasped. "No! I don't tattle! I won't tell Grandma Kennedy or Grandpa Sans!", they promised, crossing their heart. Bubblegum grinned, wiping the sweat off of her cheek. She reached into her shirt, pulling a container of sprinkles out of her bra. She tossed it to the Gaster Blaster, who bit into the container, her sharp fangs cracking the plastic and allowing the attack to eat the sprinkles. 

The human marched into the room, soaking wet and red in the face. He pointed a crackling finger at Bubblegum. " _You._ ", he hissed, and Chariel gasped, the bird flying out of their lap and landing on the windowsill as the child ran over to their older cousin. "Vega!", they cheered, and the human snapped out of his rage just in time to catch the child. He grinned widely as he picked the child up, the electricity gone. "Hey, Chariel! How's my favorite human-monster hybrid?", he inquired, and Chariel giggled. They placed one of their fingers on his nose, specifically the paw pad. "Silly Vega. I'm the only human-monster hybrid in the world!", they crooned, and Vega chuckled. "Even if there were more of them, you'd still be my favorite. You know that. Who else would be my alarm clock?", he asked, and the hybrid giggled loudly as Vega tickled their tummy. 

Laughter was heard from the doorway. A short girl entered the room. She was sixteen-years-old, but she was certainly mature for her age. "So let me guess... Bubblegum and Pansy soaked Vega and then came in here, Pansy got her treat, and Chariel broke Vega out of his zappy mode.", the girl guessed, and Vega chuckled. "That sounds pretty accurate.", he sighed, and he grinned as he ran his fingers through Chariel's hair, making the hybrid purr happily, snuggling up close to their cousin. Chariel smiled as they began to knead Vega's chest, bleating softly, melting the man's heart.

"Hello, cousins! Aunt Bubblegum! Oh, hello, Melia! You are here, too! That's great! We're all here!", a female cyborg enthusiastically entered the room, fixing her hair a bit. Bubblegum giggled, her bone-gray cheeks beginning to turn red from all of her laughings. "Hiya, Ava! How are you? I'm assuming that you're doing pretty well!", Bubblegum chirped, and Ava nodded. "I'm doing fabulously well, Aunt Bubblegum! Thank you! My mother and I had a lovely audience today, and my father and I are going to practice some more stage combat this evening! Oh, but I brought snacks from IceBerg!", the cyborg chirped, and her companions gasped excitedly.

Ava reached into her bag, looking for the mentioned food. "Let's see... Ketchup for Aunt Bubblegum!", Ava tossed the large bottle of the condiment to the monster, who grinned widely. "Thanks, Ava! Consider yourself prank-free this week!", Bubblegum declared, flipping the cap off of the bottle and taking a large drink from it, making her friends grimace. Ava shook it off and chuckled. "Alright, milk chocolate for Chariel, and some jalapenos! Because they need the spiciness!", Ava exclaimed, tossing the package of chocolate bars and the plastic jar of hot peppers to the hybrid, who hugged them both to their chest, bleating with excitement, which was the only 'thanks' that Ava needed. "Some blue cheese for Melia!", Ava called, tossing the block of cheese to her cousin, who eagerly unwrapped some of it, taking a large bite. "Thanks, cous'!", Melia chuckled, and Ava winked at her. "Some sprinkles for Pansy and some blueberries for Troilus!", Ava tossed the respective snacks towards the two, both the Phoenix and the Gaster Blaster rushing to get their food. Pansy accidently nabbed the container of berries in her jaw while Troilus caught the small, plastic jar of sprinkles in his talon. The two glanced at each other before turning to their respective companions for help. Vega took the sprinkles from Troilus as Bubblegum took the berries from Pansy, and the two traded the items before giving their pals the correct treats. "And some gummy bears for Vega! Only the blue and green ones, just how you like it!", Ava chirped, tossing the sandwich bag of gummy bears to her cousin, who caught it in his teeth, as he was still holding Chariel. "Thankth, Ava!", he grinned.

"Now, what is noise is this?", a warm voice asked, and the group smiled as a familiar face entered the room.

"Grandma Kennedy!", Chariel cheered, leaping out of Vega's arms to run over to their grandmother, who eagerly swept them into her arms. Thirty more years had been added to her total lifespan, but she still had not aged a day. "How is my fuzzy little grandchild doing today? How is my cutie-pie?", Kennedy inquired the hybrid, who's tail was becoming a blur as it wagged from their joy. "Awesome! Ava got me chocolate and peppers!", they chirped, and Kennedy crooned softly. "Aww, how sweet of her. Thank you, Ava.", Kennedy sighed happily as she cradled Chariel, petting their soft hair. It was only then that she noticed Vega's soggy hair and clothing. "Goodness, Vega, you look like your father when he walks through MarshLily without an umbrella! What happened?", she asked, and she noticed Bubblegum. "Bubblegum, did you have something to do with this?", she asked, and the monster gulped. Uh oh. "Bubblegum, I want the truth.", Kennedy ordered, and the monster looked like she wanted to bolt. Kennedy turned to the Gaster Blaster. "Pansy, did you two break the rules?", Kennedy inquired, and the floating skull shook left and right to say, 'No.' "Pansy, I have a new package of sprinkles for you if you tell me the truth.", Kennedy bribed, but the Blaster remained silent. Kennedy smirked, and Bubblegum paled.

"They are the classic ones.", Kennedy revealed, and Pansy opened her jaw widely, revealing a scrap of the latex balloon that she had popped over Vega's head. Kennedy tossed the sprinkles to the Blaster, turning to Bubblegum, who was glaring at the attack. "Traitor.", she hissed, and the attack grumbled in a mocking tone. "Bubblegum.", Kennedy said, and the monster turned to her, looking nervous. "Yes?", she replied, and the queen gestured for the monster to come forward. Bubblegum did, the entire room silent aside from Pansy's overjoyed, yet soft, barks. Kennedy put Chariel down, looking the monster in the eye sockets.

Kennedy was about to start speaking when she gasped, turning to her left and looking down. A short, smiling skeleton was standing there, looking up at her. "What's wrong, dear?", he asked, and Kennedy sighed. "Our daughter pranked our grandson with a water balloon _indoors._ I believe that I have already told her not to, yes?", Kennedy inquired, and Sans nodded, looking up at his daughter. "Sorry, kiddo, but she's right. But nice prank, though.", he commented, earning him a gentle smack on the back of his skull, making him chuckle at Kennedy's disapproval. "Aw, cmon, Kenny. She's been very well-behaved all month, and has been working hard with you to prepare for the celebration, right? Cut her some slack just this once.", Sans urged, and Kennedy sighed, picking up her husband and kissing him, making Chariel roll their eyes. "Alright. Just this once. For you, Sansy~", Kennedy cooed, nibbling at Sans' jawbone, making Bubblegum cringe. "Ack! Mom! Think of the children! Specifically yours! Meaning ME!", she protested, and Kennedy chuckled. "Bubblegum Sans Simmons, consider that as your punishment. Now, your father and I are going to relax. By the way, Vega, your father wanted to see you.", Kennedy remembered, and Vega nodded.

"Thanks, Grandma. See you guys later!", Vega said, heading to his room to pack his things to go to MarshLily.

When he entered his home, he was immediately scooped up into a strong embrace, loud caws ringing in the air as two Phoenixes reunited. Vega laughed as he was promptly suplexed onto the couch. He looked up at the culprit, who was grinning widely. "Nice to see you too, Dad.", Vega chuckled, and the warrior ruffled his son's hair. "You know I love you, Vega. So, how'd the job go?", Apollo asked, and Vega smirked. "Well, the bachelorette might have untied my G-String with her teeth.", Vega revealed, and Apollo laughed loudly. "Attaboy! Let me guess, big tip?", the father inquired, and Vega nodded. "70 big ones.", Vega bragged, and Apollo grinned. "Nice. By the way, Amelia called, she can make it to the celebration.", Apollo revealed, and Vega grinned widely. "Really!? SWEET!!! Didja hear that, Troilus? Uh... Troilus?", Vega looked around for his bird companion, but the bird was busy being preened by his mother. "Aww, you always were a momma's boy, Troilus.", Vega chuckled, and the Dusk Phoenix snapped his beak at his human. Skylar trilled cheerfully at Vega, who smiled. "I love you too, Auntie Skylar.", he replied, and the Dawn Phoenix nodded in satisfaction, resuming her grooming.

The front door opened, a redhead entering. "Hey, I'm home!", Albert greeted, and Apollo rushed over to his husband, sweeping him up into his arms and nuzzling him before kissing him passionately. Vega rolled his eyes. "Dad, tone down the homosexuality in my field of vision. I don't need to see a "Behind the Scenes" view of what you and Poppa get up to in your room.", Vega sighed, and Albert broke away from Apollo. "Sorry, Vega. How was your day?", he inquired, and Vega grinned widely. "Great! And then Aunt Bubblegum and Pansy soaked me.", Vega huffed, and Apollo snickered. "That's my baby sister, alright. Just as bad as her father.", Apollo pointed out, and Vega nodded. "Yeah. It's only thanks to Grandpa Sans that she didn't get grounded by Grandma Kennedy. Pansy ratted her out, too.", Vega recalled, and both of the fathers laughed. "Sounds about right. Now, I'm gonna make dinner.", Apollo said, and Albert smirked as Apollo set him down on the couch. 

"Don't burn down the house, sweetie.", he teased, and Apollo groaned in annoyance as Skylar squawked with laughter. "Albie!!! It was an accident! Besides, I only did it once. You've helped me actually learn how to cook.", Apollo pointed out, and Albert giggled. "Still not gonna let you live that down, babe. But maybe I'll keep talking about it if it means that I get _punished._ ", Albert cooed in a sultry tone, and Apollo smiled in a fashion that matched. "Ooh, pretty _naughty_ , Albie~", Apollo crooned, and Albert winked at him. " _Kinkshame me, Daddy._ ", Albert purred, and Vega plugged his ears, shutting his eyes tightly. "Ew. EW. EWW!!! _DAD! POP! NO!_ ", Vega protested, storming into his room as his parents laughed loudly.

Chariel giggled as they walked home, the little bird preening their hair again. The little songbird seemed to have taken a liking to the child, which Chariel wasn't complaining about. The little bird was perfectly happy to groom them, she loved the child. She didn't hang around many humans or monsters, but this hybrid was kinder than most. And certainly more patient.

Chariel looked up at the entrance to their home, reading the old sign at the top.

"Margaret's Junk Shop"

Margaret had died long ago, about a year before Vega was born, but Chariel had heard many stories about how she had helped their parent and uncle when they lived on the streets. Their parent had inherited Margaret's shop, and now both of Chariel's parents lived there.

The hybrid entered the shop, and a friendly face lit up from behind the counter. "Hello, Chariel. Who's your little friend?", Chara asked, gesturing to and Chariel giggled. "I fed her and she started to preen my hair. She's been doing it ever since I left Grandma and Grandpa's.", they explained, and their parent chuckled. "Well, she's welcome inside as long as she behaves. Your father should be here any minute now.", Chara revealed, and Chariel grinned. "He's back from visiting Grandma Toriel and Grandpa Asgore?!", they exclaimed, and they gasped as a firm grip was placed on their shoulders. "I don't know, am I?", a voice inquired, and Chariel whipped around to face him. "DAD!!!", they yelled, leaping into the Boss Monster's arms, and he laughed as he spun them around. "How's my bug-a-boo?", Asriel asked, and Chariel giggled as their father nuzzled them, rubbing his cheeks against theirs as they both purred.

"Awesome! I finished my project for school! And I made a birdy friend!", they chirped, and Asriel chuckled. "I'm glad. How are you, my dear?", Asriel asked his spouse, who walked over from behind the counter and over to their family. "Very well now that my favorite people are here.", they cooed, standing on their toes to plant a small kiss on Asriel's lower cheek. "Wow, did I finally beat Apollo?", Asriel asked, and Chara giggled. "For tonight, yes. We'll see about tomorrow.", they sighed happily, and Asriel smiled, taking one of Chara's hands in his large paw.

Their hands fit easily in his own, and he smiled fondly as he remembered when they had been equal in size when they had first met. The anniversary of that day wasn't far now, nor was Asriel's birthday. But before both of those was the thirty year anniversary of the destruction of the barrier. Thirty years since the unity between monsters and humans. A big celebration was in order, and everyone was excited.

Asriel ran his paw up Chara's arm until his fingers disappeared under their shirt sleeve. Chara sighed peacefully as Asriel gently ran his thumb over the hidden, faded scars. The pain of long ago hadn't truly left Chara, but being with the people they loved made it fade almost completely into oblivion. Asriel had always made them feel better, always having been supportive and understanding ever since he had accidentally discovered Chara's scars when they were children.

But the days of childhood were far behind them both as they guided their own child through them instead.

Asriel smiled as his red eyes met Chara's, and he pulled them close, making Chariel bleat softly with joy as their parents smiled. Chara hugged their family, and all three of them stood in silence. They were happy.

Bubblegum chuckled as she closed her bedroom door, stuffing a blanket under the door and locking it, as she always did. A familiar sigh rang through her mind and behind her. "I told you that your mother would find out. She always does.", a male voice pointed out, and Bubblegum giggled as a mental message spelled out in sign language rang through her mind as well of a similar caliber. "Aww, come on, Uncle Jakey. You know I can't resist. I get it from my dad.", Bubblegum reminded as she turned to face the owners of the voices in her head.

Jake shook his head, floating over to Bubblegum's computer chair and sitting in it as he put his feet up. "You could have _tried,_ you know.", he replied, and Frisk nodded in agreement. "Wow, best uncle and nini of the year. I'm hurt, Nini Frisk. You usually back me up.", Bubblegum giggled, and Frisk signed to remind Bubblegum that there were plenty of pranks that didn't involve water. Bubblegum rolled her eye lights. "You two are lucky that I love you both.", she sighed, and Jake chuckled. "Maybe _you_ are the one who is lucky that you love us. Because we can't exactly leave you.", Jake reminded, and Bubblegum snickered. "I suppose that's true.", she admitted.

Jake and Frisk had been tied to her soul since birth, being an ever-present force in her thoughts. Frisk was used to the feeling, they had experienced this with her father when he had taken his venture to free humanity. Jake, however, had not been and had been surprised to find himself awoken from his deathly slumber to be attached to the child of his sister and friend. He hadn't been happy that Sans had ended up marrying his baby sister at first, but his priorities had shifted when he had discovered that Baby Bubblegum could see and hear both he and Frisk. Since that day, he and Frisk had been Bubblegum's guardian angels, or at least, they tried.

The ghosts could both remember when Bubblegum had learned to crawl, trying to get her hands or magic on any dangerous object she could. Jake and Frisk had entertained her constantly to try and give Kennedy and Sans a break. They had even taught Bubblegum how to walk, making sure she only took her first steps in front of her parents, though. They had even taught her how to talk and write. Frisk had helped Bubblegum speak by slowly walking her through the science of pronunciation. Jake had guided Bubblegum's hand as she held the pencil.

Frisk's red aura glowed brightly with joy as Bubblegum nibbled on some mint leaves. Their entire spirit was red, like their shattered soul, and Jake's spirit was a silvery-gray, like his own shattered soul.

Jake chuckled to himself as he remembered when he and Frisk had to explain why she shouldn't tell anyone that she could see them. People would think she had a mental illness or something of that sort. Jake might deem telling the truth necessary one day, but the time wasn't now.

"So, anyone up for ghost poker?", Jake asked, creating a deck of translucent cards. Bubblegum grinned. "You're on, Uncle Jakey.", she giggled, sitting at her table, Jake and Frisk sitting across from her as Jake dealt the cards. Bubblegum picked up her cards, grateful that her father's undead monster species gave her the ability to interact with ghostly objects and people. "So, how many yellow gummy bears do I eat if you lose, Uncle Jakey?", Bubblegum asked, and Jake shuddered as he recalled the taste of his least favorite gummy bear flavor. He only liked the green and blue ones. "Ugh, five.", he replied, and Bubblegum smiled. "Alright. And Nini Frisk, I'll eat some almond butter if you lose, okay?", she said, and Frisk grimaced but nodded. "And as usual, I'll have some honey straws if I lose.", Bubblegum assured. "May the best undead creature win.", Frisk whispered, and both Jake and Bubblegum grinned competitively at each other. "Indeed.", they said in unison.

Kennedy sighed as Sans cleaned their bedroom up with his magic. She was never a messy person, but the same couldn't be said for Sans. She didn't mind it too much, but occasionally she would get tired of the mess. Especially when Sans left his socks everywhere. Kennedy grinned to herself. Sans only needed one clear message to learn that smelly socks needed to be picked up after a while.

Kennedy still had a bottle of hot sauce. Just in case. 1.5 million Scoville Units sure did make smoke pour from Sans' eye sockets in a satisfying way.

Sans finished tidying up, climbing into bed with his wife and curling up close to her, raising a browbone as he saw her smile. "What are you thinking about, Kenny?", he inquired, and Kennedy crooned, kissing his forehead. "Socks and hot sauce.", she replied, and Sans shuddered, making Kennedy giggle. "I know that Apollo found that very funny.", Kennedy cooed, and Sans rolled his eye lights. "Well he still had a bit of a grudge with me for dating his mother, considering that I'm one of his best friends who's only a few years older than him.", Sans pointed out, and Kennedy chuckled. "I will give you that. But that was also around the time when Chara actually started to like you, remember?", Kennedy asked, and Sans nodded fondly. A soft, yet warm smile stretched across his face. 

"Yeah, I do. You know, sometimes I wonder how I ended up with such a wonderful person like you... How I have such a beautiful family... How I'm actually a king... Y'know? I mean... even after all of these years... it's so surreal. I mean, I have a daughter. A wife. A grandson. A grandchild. I mean... I'm happy. And... that's amazing to me, y'know?", Sans inquired, and Kennedy smiled warmly at him, holding him close to her body. "I do know. I mean... after Jake and Frisk died... and Melissa left... I never thought that I could be this happy ever again. But now... I have such a large family, full of love and light. I never thought I would ever be able to love anyone like I love you again. I was always terrified of out-living anyone I loved... Of out-living my children... Of having to kill all of monster kind and have no one ever see me as an equal again... But now... Because of you... I am happy. I am happier than I have ever been before I met you.", Kennedy revealed, and Sans smiled, hugging her close.

"I love you, Kennedy.", he sighed, and Kennedy gently rubbed the side of his skull with her thumb. "I love you too, Sans.", she crooned, and Sans looked into her eyes.

It was funny to remember how this kind of eye contact was the only reason Kennedy hadn't been able to kill him at all.

Kennedy closed her eyes, sighing with a smile. "Sans...", she breathed, and Sans smiled at her. "Yes, my love?", he replied, and Kennedy took a deep breath. "Get that sock off of my floor, you lazy bones.", she huffed, glaring at Sans, who laughed loudly. Kennedy laughed as well, and Sans' laughter increased as she tickled him. "Ack! Ke-Kenny! No-o-o!!! Stop it! That- that-ACK!!!", Sans protested, and Kennedy sneered. "What? Do you not like it? I find it very _rib-tickling!_ ", she teased, continuing to tickle him.

Ava smiled as she entered her home, her father looking up from his cooking. "Ah! Hello, Ava! How are you?", he inquired, and Ava giggled. "Great! How are you, Dad?", she asked, and he smiled. "Pretty good. That cat stole my feathers again, though.", Jason huffed, and Ava giggled. "Aww, but she's so cute!", the cyborg pointed out, and Jason went bug-eyed with anger. "Thirty years. Over THIRTY YEARS. THAT CAT HAS DRIVEN ME UP THE WALL FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS!!!", he ranted, and Ava giggled, gasping as the door opened dramatically.

"Jason, dear, what did that cat do now?", Celeste inquired, and Jason grumbled. "Stole my feathers. AGAIN!!!", he yelled, and Celeste strutted over to him. "Aw, come here.", Celeste kissed his cheek, making Jason blush brightly. Celeste smirked. "Better?", she asked, and Jason nodded, kissing Celeste. "Yes, very.", he admitted, and he looked to his daughter. "Now, you will be ready to spar after dinner, right?", he asked, and Ava nodded. "Yep! But I have to go charge my battery a bit first, okay?", she asked, and Jason nodded. "Go right ahead, sweetie.", he urged, and Ava entered her room, plugging herself in as she began to text her cousin.

Melia was walking through IceBerg, having just dropped off Ava at her house. Her phone went off, and she chuckled as she saw that she got a text message from Ava.

"Where r u?", Ava texted, and Melia giggled. "About 2 leave town, silly. I just left.", she replied, and Ava replied again. "Oh ok. C U 2morrow!", Ava texted, and Melia giggled. "C U."

She put her phone away and waited until she got out of town, looking around to make sure no one was watching. She snapped her fingers and appeared outside of the door to the abandoned city. She knocked on the door, and she waited a few moments. The door opened, and Melia smiled as her mother stood there with a smile. "Hi, Ma. I'm guessing that you beat Mom to the door?", she inquired, and Sofia chuckled. "Don't I always, kiddo? Come on in.", Sofia encouraged, and Melia stepped in, closing the door behind her and locking it. The two walked down the hallway in the basement and walked upstairs to enter the house. They entered the living room, where they found Melissa reading her book.

Melissa glared half-heartedly at Sofia. "Really, dear? I wish you would let me answer the door for once.", she huffed, and Sofia chuckled. "Fat chance, babe. But I love you~", Sofia crooned, and Melissa smiled widely, walking over to her wife and holding her close, stroking her blonde hair and running her fingers over Sofia's pale skin. "I love you too, Sofia.", she cooed. Sofia smiled, reaching up and wrapping Melissa's long, curly hair around her fingers, staring into Melissa's brown eyes. She took Melissa's hand and planted a soft kiss on the dark skin. 

Melissa began to giggle. Sofia raised an eyebrow. "What is it?", she inquired, and Melissa sighed happily. "Melia got tired of us and went to her room.", Melissa revealed, and Sofia turned around, chuckling as she saw that it was true. "Oh, well. She'll understand one day.", Sofia pointed out, and Melissa nodded. "Yes, she will."

Amelia gently bit her tongue, focusing all of her attention on her computer screen as she drew the long hair of the main character of her manga. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. She kept drifting off, but she had to finish this page before tomorrow so that her customers were happy. She loved manga, and she had a very popular fanbase around her own original manga, which made her happy. It cost money, of course. She had to make a living, but with commissions, and online patrons, it didn't cost too much. Either way, she made a decent and stable living.

She huffed, brushing her long, red hair out of her face. She took a damp cloth, lifting up her shirt and dabbing the cloth against her gills a bit to moisten them. Her orange scales felt clammy, and she hoped that she wasn't sick. She sighed heavily, her sharp fangs visible for only a moment. Suddenly, her phone got a notification. It was a text message from "Stripper for the party".

She giggled. She still hadn't changed his contact name. She opened their conversation, and read the message. "did you remember to get on your heating rock?", he texted, and Amelia gasped, clasping a hand over her snout. She rolled her eyes, taking her art tablet, laptop, and phone with her over to her heat rock, which she turned on. She typed her message into her phone as the device underneath her warmed her up as she laid down on her stomach.

"No WONDER I was falling asleep while drawing!!! Gosh, I'm an idiot sometimes.", she replied, and he sent her a laughing emoji. She opened her camera and took a picture of herself, shamelessly showing off her cleavage. He had seen it several times anyway. She sent the picture to him. "Look, it's the worst lizard-fish monster ever!", she texted, and another laughing emoji was sent from him. She pressed a button on her phone, calling his cellphone. He picked it up on the second ring.

"Hey, sweetie.", Vega answered, and Amelia giggled. "Thanks for reminding me, Vega. I feel so silly. I mean, it's not like it's important for me to regulate my body temperature on a regular basis or anything!", she joked, and Vega chuckled. "Aww, come on, Amelia Abby. It could happen to anyone.", he insisted, and Amelia scoffed, resuming her drawing as she continued to talk to him. "Yeah, whatever. I don't know a single monster that has to regulate their body temperature who forgets to do so. Except for my mom, but she stopped forgetting years ago according to my mother.", Amelia pointed out, and Vega chuckled. "Alright, but you're not the worst. At least, not to me.", he replied, and Amelia smiled warmly, though he couldn't see it. "I know, that's why you're sweet. But you're a little biased, considering I'm the one you have sex with.", she pointed out, and Vega laughed loudly. "That has nothing to do with it. You would never be the worst to me.", Vega assured, and Amelia sighed happily. "Alright. So, are you excited to see me? I'm excited to see you. I can't wait to be there.", Amelia admitted, and Vega chuckled.

"I am definitely excited to see you. And trust me, we're gonna have fun. Every one of these celebrations is awesome, but this one is gonna be even better because it's the thirtieth one. Every ten years, the celebration is bigger than ever! The last one like this was when I was sixteen, so I couldn't even drink alcohol. But now I can! We both can! And Chariel is so excited. They were two when we last had a celebration like this, so they can't remember it, but they can't wait now!", Vega chirped, and Amelia grinned. "I'm so excited. A lot of my followers are excited too, as quite a few have requested a drawing based on the event, like everyone stopping Queen Kennedy and King Sans from fighting when they first met, or your parents when they first started dating and such. But I have a question, what exactly is the celebration about? I know it's about how King Sans freed the humans, but why do people want me to draw things like Royal Heir Chara and Prince Asriel being married?", Amelia inquired, and Vega smiled.

"Well, it's also about the union between monsters and humans, y'know? How we now live in relative peace and certain things that happened around that. People might ask for a drawing of when my parents first started dating because my dad is Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of the Underground and my pop is the Royal Scientist. You see, my grandfather helped them get together, and somehow befriended the one man who hated monsters the most and helped my pop tell the truth about his actions in his lab. That represents how no matter how much we may hate each other for our past or what our opinions on the opposing species are, we can still become allies.", Vega explained, and Amelia gasped. "Ohh! That makes sense! Alright, keep going.", she urged, and Vega chuckled.

"Okay, people might ask for art based around how the fight between my grandfather and grandmother was stopped because it represents how a single, kind monster can touch the hearts of many! Even to the point of disobeying the only ruler they've ever had! I mean, my dad even showed up, and that's his mom! It also represents how my grandmother chose not to fight my grandfather because of how happy he made so many of her subjects. And eventually, that led to love!", Vega revealed, and Amelia nodded. "Alright, I see. Now, what about Prince Asriel and Royal Heir Chara? I was commissioned to draw their marriage and them being together with Chariel.", Amelia pointed out, and Vega sighed.

"Well, that represents how the kingdoms were united with the marriage of the children of the topmost royalty. Chariel in themselves is a major symbol of the celebration just because of how they were born! I mean, they are the only monster-human hybrid in the world, born from the monster prince and the royal heir of the humans. A perfect blend between boss monster and powerful human magic that was hand-reared by the queen. The rarest couple, the rarest child. Their soul is incredibly unique, one of a kind. I mean, my grandmother even used Chariel during her speech on the year they were born and on the twentieth anniversary of the barrier breaking, saying that if such a beautiful child born of both species could come to grace the earth, then humans and monsters could truly live in harmony, just as the monster and human blood and soul in Chariel could.", Vega recalled, and Amelia sighed happily. "Wow. That's so cool. Man, humanity really likes souls, huh?", Amelia asked, and Vega chuckled.

"Well, we can "see" them all the time. Our magic-based bodies can "see" the souls of every creature that has one, not to mention that our bodies are attuned with our souls and that for over two-thousand years all of our hopes came from finding monster souls. That the soul is the very culmination of your being, it's who you are. So, yes, souls are important to us, considering that most of our magic is based on it.", Vega pointed out, and Amelia smiled. "Alright, that makes sense. Speaking of which... do you think you could show me how to reveal my soul? You always tell me about how pretty and bright my soul is, but I want to see it.", Amelia admitted, and Vega hummed in thought. "Um, sure, if you really want to. I mean, we are getting pretty serious right now, and soul-sharing is something that's very intimate. I mean, we can "see" them all the time, meaning that we can basically get a gist of whether or not someone is happy or otherwise or how dark their soul is, but revealing your soul to someone means that you trust them completely, like, with everything.", Vega explained, and Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I thought we did trust each other.", she said, and Vega sighed.

"Not like that. See, when you show someone your soul, you reveal _everything_ to them. How much HP you have, how much ATK you have, how much DEF you have, even your LV. It reveals just about everything about you. How strong you are, how weak you are, how happy of a person you are, if you regret anything, if you feel guilty about anything, if you have secrets or if you've ever killed anyone, and so much more. Like I said, your soul is _everything you are._ It's like... letting someone read your mind. Search through your deepest thoughts. Let them see your _true_ feelings. And once you do share your soul with someone, they can basically reveal it by taking your hands and placing them on your own chest and removing them, like opening a door. They can get a reading on your soul in general, now that they know what it looks like and feels like. Kind of like how... when you get naked with someone. You see what they look like, and even after they get dressed again, you still know what they look like. Except with every little thing that makes you who you are. Does that make sense?", Vega asked, and Amelia blinked. "Wow. Yeah, it does make sense. I never thought about it that way. But... the thing is... that doesn't deter me at all. Everything you just said... I'm okay with that. I'd be fine with showing you everything about me.", Amelia admitted, and Vega gasped quietly.

"Wow... Alright. You know what? I love you, Amelia. And... I think I'd actually be happy with sharing my soul with you. I think I'm ready for that.", Vega admitted, and Amelia smiled. "Alright. So... it's a date?", she asked, and Vega chuckled. "Yeah. I'll see you soon, sweetie.", Vega sighed, and he paused as he heard Apollo call for dinner. "Alright, I have to go, Amelia. Dinner's ready. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?", Vega asked, and Amelia giggled. "Alright. I love you.", she cooed, and Vega sighed happily. "I love you too. Alright, bye.", Vega replied, and he hung up.

Amelia held her phone to her chest as she rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. She and Vega were getting really serious.

Suddenly, her bedroom door opened, and her mother peered in with her one eye. "Hey, Amelia. Your mom and I and getting some take-out, do you want the usual?", the fish monster asked, and she heard her wife call from the front door. "Undyne! Hurry up! The place closes soon!", the lizard monster called, and Undyne chuckled. "Don't worry Alphy! I'll be there in a second!", Undyne called back, turning to Amelia to wait for a reply. Amelia nodded. "Yep, the usual.", she replied, and Undyne nodded, leaving the room. "SHE WANTS THE USUAL, ALPHYS! I'M COMING!", she yelled as she ran down the hallway, and Amelia giggled.

She finished her commission and closed her computer, turning it off in favor for simply relaxing on her heat rock. The world was happy in her eyes due to her improved mood. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. It was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LostDT!Tale 2  
> COMING SOON
> 
> ((I am currently busy writing out the basic plot for this new book, the official and canon sequel to LostDT!Tale. It takes place exactly 30 years after the first book, on the day of the celebration! I took the liberty to reveal where all of your favorite characters are now, and who they care about. Of course, there are a few friends that I will reveal in the actual book, such as Bubblegum's best friend. But for now, expect a few short stories about "The Descendants," as I call them.
> 
> The cute misadventures of Chariel, the mischief of Bubblegum, the interactions between Vega and Amelia, or simply where all of our favorite characters are now. Believe me when I say that the funniest "meh"ments of Chariel's will be the most common thing you see!
> 
> But leave a comment asking about the upcoming book or who you would like an update on! After all, there are plenty of questions that I am happy to answer!  
> See ya soon!))


	11. Chariel Says "Hello"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first short story about the "Descendants" of the original characters of LostDT!Tale.  
> This one focuses on Chariel Aludra Simmons-Dreemurr, a little human-monster hybrid that is the child of Chara and Asriel, and Vega Pollux Simmons, the son of Apollo and Albert.  
> Vega is almost 16 in this backstory, and Chariel is almost one, so they can't speak yet.

Vega grinned as he held up his phone, pressing record as he pointed the camera at his baby cousin.

"Chariel~", Vega crooned, and the little hybrid looked up at him curiously, sitting up. "Meh?", they bleated in question, and Vega chuckled. Chariel wasn't old enough to speak yet, but they could make goat sounds. They were old enough to understand most of what their family talked about and even attempted to respond when they could, even if no one understood them. "Hey, Chariel! Look, it's a camera!", Vega kneeled down and held out the camera for the hybrid to see. Chariel blinked at the device before they opened their mouth to try and gently bite it. Vega pulled the camera out of their reach, making Chariel frown in annoyance. "Meh!", they huffed, sending a clear message to Vega that they were trying to nom on the camera and that he was being rude. Vega chuckled. "No, no, Chariel. We don't eat phones. Anyway, hey, Bibi Chara and Uncle Asriel! I'm recording this video for you while you're visiting Mrs. Toriel and Mr. Asgore on the surface! Chariel misses you a bunch, but they're still happy! Look!", Vega cooed at his younger cousin, who giggled happily, falling over as their tail waggled softly. "Meh!", Chariel bleated quietly, making Vega smile.

"Say "hi" to Dada!", Vega urged, and Chariel gasped as they heard their father's "name." "Meh!", they chirped happily, patting the ground with their paws gently as they sat up. Vega grinned widely. "Say "hi" to parent!", he encouraged, and Chariel's eyes glittered at the mention of what they knew Chara as. "Meh! Meh!", they patted the ground enthusiastically as they bleated. Apollo entered the room, smiling as he saw what Vega was doing. Vega gasped dramatically, making Chariel even more excited. "Look! It's Uncle Apollo!", Vega pointed out, and Chariel smacked the ground with their paws several times. "Meh! _Meh!_ ", they exclaimed, their tail only wagging faster. Albert entered the room as well, curious about the noise level. Vega gasped again, and Chariel froze, waiting for him to talk in anticipation. "Oh, my gosh!!! It's _Uncle Albert!_ ", Vega declared, and Chariel was shaking with pure elation. " _Meh! MEH!_ ", they yelled, smacking the ground rapidly and fiercely, to the point where they were bending over. 

Kennedy peered into the room, wondering why more people were being drawn to it, and Vega gasped again, making Chariel's eyes sparkle. "Chariel. Look. It's... _GRANDMA KENNEDY!_ ", Vega exclaimed, and Chariel slammed their paws on the floor, bleating very loudly. " ** _MEH! MEH!_** ", Chariel desperately tried to greet their family members, not even caring that they couldn't speak because they were so excited. Bubblegum and Sans also peered into the room, having paused their math lesson to see what the fuss was about. "Meh! Meh! MEH! _MEH! MEEEHHH!_ ", Chariel bleated before Vega even said anything, making him laugh. "Chariel! It's Aunt Bubblegum and Grandpa Sans! Look! Say "hi" to them!", Vega urged, and Chariel fell onto their front, unable to sit up in their elation, though they were still sitting as they smacked the ground as hard as they could. " _MEEEEHHHH!!! ME-E-E-EHH!!_ ", they yelled loudly, absolutely over-stimulated.

Vega laughed, keeping the camera pointed at the hybrid. "Well, Bibi Chara, Uncle Asriel, as you can see, Chariel is very excited to be staying here with their family and excited to see you both when you come back! My phone is almost dead, so I'll send this to you both as soon as I can! Bye!", Vega said, and the rest of the family said their farewells to Chara and Asriel as well, especially Chariel. " _MEH!_ MEH MEH MEH!!!", they bleated excitedly, and Vega turned the camera off, laughing with the rest of the family at Chariel's silly antics.

They were silly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh!


	12. Vega's Fashion Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vega, the son of Apollo and Albert, is a cross-dresser. He will wear men's clothing when he feels a little lazy, but more often than not, he adores wearing "feminine" clothing such as dresses, skirts, heels, even wearing makeup and jewelry.  
> He says they make him feel pretty.  
> He likes to feel pretty.  
> But, of course, it all had to start somewhere.  
> Bubblegum invited Vega over for a tea party when she was six and he was seven, and when she tries to find something to wear...  
> Vega is intrigued.

Vega giggled as he hugged his stuffed animal close to his chest. Bubblegum was searching for things to wear for their tea party, rummaging through her toy chest, which was mostly filled with dress-up clothing. Vega walked over to her, peering into the chest of dress-up clothes, tiaras, feather boas, and more.

He gasped as he spotted a beautiful pink gown. He pulled it out and held it up. Bubblegum frowned. "Eh, that's not really one of my favorite dresses. I think I'll wear something purple.", she stated, but Vega shook his head. "No, I- it's really pretty, isn't it?", he inquired, and Bubblegum blinked. She shrugged. "I guess so, I just don't like pink too much. It kinda clashes with my skin tone of _deathly pale_ , y'know?", she questioned, and Vega nodded. "Y-Yeah... but... um... _Can I try it on?_ ", Vega asked sheepishly, and Bubblegum blinked.

She shrugged, smiling. "I don't see why not! Here.", Bubblegum pulled out a hairbrush, makeup, and nail polish, handing them all to Vega. "If you're gonna wear the dress, you may as well go all out, right?", she questioned, and Vega grinned widely.

A little while later, Vega was wearing the dress, a boa, and pink dress shoes. Bubblegum was brushing his hair, spraying it with water so that she could style it. She put some flower barrettes in his hair as well. She applied makeup to his face, such as blush, eyeshadow, and shiny, pink lip balm. Then, she painted his nails with a glittering silver nail polish.

She backed away from her masterpiece. She grinned excitedly. "Wow, Vega! _You look so pretty!_ See?", Bubblegum held out a hand mirror for Vega, who gasped when he saw his reflection. "I look awesome! Thanks, Aunt Bubblegum!", Vega chirped, and Bubblegum hugged him tightly. "Anything for my one and only nephew! Now, Pansy is going to apply my makeup, so watch and learn.", Bubblegum encouraged, and Vega watched enthusiastically. 

Later on, Apollo and Albert were talking with Sans and Kennedy. "So, Chara and Asriel are getting pretty close, aren't they?", Apollo asked, and Kennedy nodded. "Yes, they are. It is quite adorable to see Chara truly fall for someone.", Kennedy sighed, and Sans chuckled. "Yeah, and Asriel really likes Chara. I can tell. He's acting like his father does around his mother sometimes.", Sans revealed, and loud giggling could be heard from the hallway.

Bubblegum ran out of the hallway, her Gaster Blaster, Pansy, flying close behind her with a toy rabbit in her jaws. Bubblegum was wearing a purple playtime dress as well as other accessories. "I'm gonna get you! Gimme back BunBun!", Vega yelled, chasing after the two in his dress-up clothes as well.

Everyone in the room watched with wide eyes as they saw Vega. Apollo shook off his shock. "Vega, what are you wearing, buddy?", Apollo inquired, and Vega paused in his pursuit to run over to his fathers.

"Aunt Bubblegum let me try on her play clothes! She even did my hair and my makeup! She said I look pretty in pink!", Vega rambled, and Apollo chuckled awkwardly. "Y-Yeah...you... you sure do...", he mumbled, and Albert nodded. "Yes, you look... _pink...?_ ", Albert stated, and Vega frowned. "You don't like it, do you?", he asked, and both of his fathers grimaced at the heartbroken look in their son's eyes. "No, no, Vega, it's just... Dad wasn't expecting it, y'know? But I think you look stunning in that boa, buddy.", Apollo said, and Vega perked up a bit. "Really!?", he chirped, and both his fathers nodded. "Yay! I'm gonna go get BunBun back from Aunt Bubblegum!", Vega exclaimed, and he resumed his chase.

Apollo and Albert looked to each other.

"I am so proud of him.", Apollo whimpered, and Albert sighed.

Apollo had always worn pink dresses to Chara's tea parties when he was younger.


	13. Apollo and Albert Have A Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, I need to explain something about Vega, the son of Apollo and Albert.  
> He's not adopted. He is their genetic child.  
> Wait- you ask. 'How can two men have a genetic child?'  
> Well, there's a spell for almost anything.  
> The Genetic Offspring Spell. A spell created and perfected for parents who can't conceive a child naturally.  
> Requiring a piece of magic from all close relatives, these will help create variety in the child's genes.  
> Four pieces of magic, one from each person who will be a grandparent to the child, are required, and pieces of magic from any siblings are recommended.  
> But... to perform this spell, a brand new soul must be created. Soul power can only be derived from what was once living, so in order for this spell to be possible...  
> Each parent of the child must give a piece of their very souls to bind with the magic of their family members and create a soul for the infant.  
> It's said to be more painful than childbirth, as the parents are ripping off a piece of the very culmination of their being.  
> But so far... it hasn't been confirmed. Oh well.

"Alright, I have my pieces. Do you have yours?", Apollo inquired, and Albert nodded, holding out the little bottles of magic. "My mother, father, and sister.", Albert listed, setting the bottles on the table. "Good. And here's my mom, Chara, Margaret, and some of my Uncle Jake.", Apollo set his own bottles on the table.

"Alright. Are you ready?", Apollo asked, and Albert took a deep breath. "As ready as I'm going to be. Ugh... this is going to hurt like a bitch.", Albert sighed, and Apollo chuckled. "Well, yeah, we're ripping off a piece of our own souls to make a new one. I'd be worried if it didn't hurt.", Apollo pointed out, and Albert laughed.

They both sighed. 

"Alright, let's do this. Rip it off like a bandage.", Albert stated, and Apollo nodded, taking Albert's hands into his own. 

"Three.", Apollo began, and Albert took a deep breath.  
"Two...", he continued, and the married couple looked into each other's eyes.

"One.", they said in unison, and they took a sharp breath as their hands began to glow with their magic.

The first phase began.

The glow spread to their arms, then their chests, then the rest of their bodies. They began to float off of the ground with the sheer power of the spell, which created a whirlwind around the two, blowing their hair and clothes around. The bottles shook before disappearing, releasing the magic and dust into the air before the material was pulled inwards between the two men in the winds.

The second phase began.

Apollo and Albert grunted as they summoned large amounts of their magic into their souls, causing them to appear in front of them. Then, they used their magic to latch onto the opposite's soul and begin to tear a small piece off. Apollo and Albert both began to cry and wail as the intense pain of having the very culmination of their beings ripped sailed through them, their arms crackling with the energy being exchanged. They yelled and screamed as their souls fought against the damage, but didn't stop, as the spell had to be completed.

The third phase began.

The soul pieces were finally torn off, and two blood-curdling screams pierced the air, causing Skylar to hide under her wings. The two pieces were drawn to each other, and with help from the magic surrounding the pieces, they were glued together, finally fusing into an infant, human soul. More magic and determination was taken from Apollo and Albert to form the body, fusing around the soul. The pair and the growing child began to glow with a blinding light, and the parents screamed one final time as their souls ran out of magic to give without becoming harmful, capping themselves off, and a loud 'BOOM' echoed throughout the home.

The final phase began.

The parents fell to the ground, still holding each other's arms with a lack of a better grip on reality as they began to recover. The glow and crackling energy disappeared, and both Apollo and Albert huffed and puffed, shaking and shivering with the pain. They finally let go of each other, holding onto themselves as more determination was taken from them, as well as any magic that was recovered.

Then, it all stopped as their souls healed, though the piece that was ripped off of each never came back, leaving a little gap.

A baby's cry rang through the air as the spell was completed.

It was over.

Apollo gasped as he snapped out of his pain-induced haze when he heard the newborn's cries. He shook off the dull ache, looking down at the little baby laying on the floor with him and Albert. He weakly reached out to the child, taking it into his arms. He sat up as he cradled the newborn, grabbing the baby blanket off of the table and swaddling the infant as he rocked them in his arms, holding them closely as parental instincts kicked into high gear.

Love. All Apollo could do was love on the new baby.

Albert watched as Apollo immediately took the baby up, soothing it as it cried. He pulled himself over to Apollo, looking down at the baby as he sat up. He paused as he saw the child.

They were perfect.

Apollo smiled as he saw Albert fall in love with the child as well, and he handed the infant to Albert, who gladly cradled them.

Love. That was all Albert could feel for the child.

"So... worth it, right?", Albert asked, speaking just loud enough to cover up the baby's crying. Apollo chuckled. "Absolutely.", he agreed, and he pulled himself onto his feet, then helping Albert do the same. "Do you know if it's a boy or girl?", Albert inquired, and Apollo sighed happily. "I didn't even take the time to look. Can you do that?", Apollo asked, and Albert nodded, gently unswaddling the baby to determine what sex they were.

He smiled and swaddled the baby back up.

"It's a boy, Apollo.", he cooed, rocking the baby boy a little more. Apollo hummed cheerfully. "Well, then say "hello" to Vega Pollux Reed-Simmons.", Apollo crooned, and Albert smiled. "That's a wonderful name for him. What were we gonna name him if he was a girl, again? My mind is racing.", he explained, and Apollo chuckled. "Pleione Electra Reed-Simmons.", he replied, and Albert gasped. "Oh, I see what you did with these names. You used the middle names. Kennedy's and Chara's if it was a girl, and Jake's and Frisk's if it was a boy. Clever.", Albert noted, and Apollo grinned. "Thank you. Can... Can I have him again?", he asked, and Albert handed Vega to Apollo.

Apollo smiled as Vega finally began to calm down, his cries dying down to become yawns as the baby drifted to sleep. "Well, you should start signing the papers.", Albert whispered, and Apollo sighed contentedly. "Yeah, you gotta sign them too, remember? You're the other father.", Apollo reminded, and Albert chuckled. "Kinda hard to forget that, Apollo. Besides, I think it's impossible for me to forget. After all, Vega already has me wrapped around his little fingers.", Albert admitted, and Apollo chuckled. "He does have that effect on you, doesn't he? Well, I guess I gotta put him to bed.", Apollo sighed, and he walked over to the crib and laid Vega down to sleep.

He turned to Albert with a giant smile on his face, and he scooped Albert up into a giant hug. "We're parents, Al.", he breathed, and Albert nodded, tears running down his face. "We are... We really are.", he sighed happily, and the two fathers held each other in elated silence, sharing their first kiss as parents.


	14. Vega and Kennedy Have a Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kennedy reminisces with Vega about some things, revealing certain things about his Great Uncle Jake to him that he couldn't possibly have believed.

Vega sat down across from his grandmother, who had invited him over. "So, Grandma, is there any reason you invited me over alone? Not that I mind, I'm just curious.", he admitted, and Kennedy smiled. "Yes, actually, there is. Do not fret, it is a happy reason. At least, for me, it is. I have wanted to talk to you about this for a very long time, you see. Ever since you were a child. But I saw that this conversation may not truly of made sense to you back then as much as it probably will now. And as you know, I am a very patient lady. I have all of the time in the world.", Kennedy stated, and Vega nodded, fully intrigued. "Alright, Grandma, shoot. I'm all ears.", Vega replied, and Kennedy smiled as she pulled a framed picture onto the table, staring at it for a few seconds.

It was a very old photo, one that she had always loved, ever since she took it. There were two happy, smiling figures in the photo, two of Kennedy's most beloved.  
Jake Vega Simmons and Frisk Pollux Simmons.  
Jake, as tall of a man as he was, was easily picking Frisk up off of their hooves and hugging them tightly, and Frisk was playfully fighting back to be put down even though they loved the attention they were getting.  
Soon after the picture was taken, Jake put them down and Frisk managed to convince him to let them give him a quick grooming since they messed up his hair, gently using their tongue to put the locks of hair back in place. Jake wasn't the only one Frisk groomed, Kennedy remembered the times when she would be reading with Frisk and they would ask to groom her hair, gently giving her a kiss under her chin when she agreed, then climbing around her to groom her long hair. They loved the challenge the long, chestnut locks provided for them.

Kennedy smiled, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Vega, I am certain that many of us have told you how much you act like your father, Apollo, when you play with Chariel, correct?", Kennedy asked, and Vega nodded, smiling. "Yeah, and everyone says that Chariel acts like Bibi Chara when they were younger.", he answered, and Kennedy sighed happily. "Well, no one can truly deny it. Do you like it when people tell you this?", she inquired, and Vega nodded eagerly. "You know I love my dad. Most of my friends are frustrated that their families compare them to their parents, like if they get their nose shape from their mom or something, but... I really like being compared to both Dad and Pop. I respect them so much, and being compared to Dad in any way makes me feel really good.", Vega revealed, and Kennedy smiled. "I am glad. Your parents are good people, and I have seen them both at their worst. You can ask your Grandpa Sans, he has _definitely_ seen your dad at his worst. Believe me, the anger you see him with is nothing compared to how angry he used to get when he talked of the injustice done to our kind by the monsters when they killed my brother. I was quite surprised when it had turned out that your grandfather had somehow befriended him. Even more so when I discovered that Apollo did it willingly. By _burning down his house._ ", Kennedy giggled, and Vega laughed.

"Anyway, I brought you here to give you this.", Kennedy pulled out a copy of the picture she was holding, which was framed for Vega and handed it to him. He looked at the image, smiling as he saw Jake and Frisk. "Heh. That's cute.", Vega commented, and Kennedy smiled. "When you and Bubblegum were younger, I noticed something about you both. Something... that I find remarkable, even to this day.", Kennedy sighed, and Vega put the picture down to listen to her. "I realized just how much that Bubblegum reminds me of myself when I was young, and how much you remind me of Jake when he was young.", Kennedy breathed, and Vega's eyes widened, looking down at the picture and back at Kennedy. "Really? Me? The stripper?", he inquired, and Kennedy giggled. "Yes, and you still do. You must have seen how much you act like an older brother to Bubblegum, yes? Just as you act like an older brother to Chariel? You certainly do not act like any nephew of her's.", Kennedy pointed out, and Vega nodded. "Yeah, but... really? I remind you of your brother...?", Vega asked softly, and Kennedy smiled. 

"Yes, very much so. You are protective, kind, and remarkably patient with her. Every time you have gone off when she has pranked you, you cannot bring yourself to actually get angry at her. Jake was very similar in that way with Frisk and I. And besides...", Kennedy pulled out a picture of Vega and Bubblegum, showing it to Vega. "You even look like him."

Vega gently took the picture from his grandmother, comparing himself to his Great Uncle Jake. He had never noticed it before, but he really did look like Jake. His hair style was very similar to Jake's aside from having his dad's signature scruff. He had glasses similar to Jake's. They didn't share the same eye color, as Jake's eyes were a cornflower blue and Vega had his Pop's brown, but they did have the same, soft appearance to them.  
Now that he looked at it, he was almost a sporting image of Jake.

He smiled, looking up at Kennedy. "Wow, I... I never realized...", he breathed, and he stood up, walking over to Kennedy and hugging her tightly. Kennedy was quick to return the hug, but neither were quick to let go. "You are an amazing person, just as he was. Do not lose that. Some people cannot even hope to be half the person that Jakey was. But you...? You do not have to hope that you are even as good as a person as he was. That is precious. Never lose that tenderness in your heart and soul, Vega. Because we all love it. And we all love you. No matter what.", Kennedy sighed, gently running her fingers through her grandson's hair. Vega sniffled. "I... I won't. I won't lose it, Grandma... I promise... I love you...", he whispered, burying his face in the hair on her shoulder as he used to as a child, making Kennedy croon. "I love you too."

Jake sighed, watching this from outside the room. Frisk was standing next to him, or rather, floating, both spirits watching the interaction while Bubblegum took a quick nap. Frisk turned to Jake and asked if he was okay. Jake nodded but sighed. "Yes, I am. I just... I miss her. I miss them. I miss them all.", he replied, and Frisk drew closer to him, hugging him gently. They nuzzled his neck gently, comforting him. " _They miss you too, brother... you know that._ ", Frisk spoke, their voice hushed as it always was. Jake nodded. "I know. But even if we finally revealed ourselves to them... it wouldn't be the same. We'd still be attached to Bubblegum. I still wouldn't talk in the Royal Speech as I used to before I died. They wouldn't be able to touch us. Everything I did to them... you know what I mean. No matter what we wish and desire... it will never be as it used to be. And I just...", glittering tears rolled down Jake's cheeks, inciting Frisk to hug him tighter. " _I wish it could have been different...! It's not fair...! I... I miss her so much, Frisk! I... I don't know what to do 'sniff' anymore...! It hurts... it hurts... so much..._ ", Jake sobbed into Frisk's sweater, and the deer monster cooed into his ear softly.

" _I know it does, brother. It hurts them too. Especially her. But we'll always be there for her, okay? Always. You don't have to hurt anymore, Jake. You have to forgive yourself. I know you still feel guilty about everything. And believe me, I need to follow my own advice. I feel guilty too. One of these days, we'll truly realize that we have to stop, and we will, just as she has. Until then... I love you, Jake._ ", Frisk crooned in a quiet tone, and Jake finally began to calm down, hugging Frisk back and petting the short fur on the top of their head between their antlers. "I love you too, Frisk.", he sighed, and he watched as Kennedy and Vega finally pulled out of their hug, and Vega took his new picture and walked through the doorway, leaving the castle.

Kennedy stood in the doorway next to her siblings, though she didn't know they were there. Jake looked down at her and smiled, gently running his hand over her hair. He could feel her, she could not feel him. "I love you too, Kennedy.", he breathed, and he watched as tears flowed down Kennedy's cheeks. Happy tears, not caused by Jake, but he was happy to see them anyway.

"I love you so much."


	15. Kennedy and Sans Have A Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apollo and Albert could not conceive a baby naturally, as they are both men.  
> Unlike them, Kennedy and Sans were able to conceive a baby the traditional way.  
> That is... if you can call a skeleton having... "parts" natural. At least, it's natural in this AU. Don't ask how. I think you know.  
> Unfortunately for Kennedy, this means she has to give birth, which is renowned and claimed to be the most painful experience in the world. At least, that won't kill you.  
> So when she goes into labor a few days early and Sans isn't with her...  
> They're both in for a bad time.  
>  **WARNING: Minor talk of violence, descriptions of childbirth, mild language and swearing, and minor sexual themes.**

Kennedy huffed and puffed as she felt another contraction, which was accompanied by a pained scream.

She glared into the eyes of Celeste, who was helping Kennedy, along with Melissa and Chara. "Where... is _**HE!?**_ ", she wailed, and Celeste grimaced at the look of desperation and pain in the queen's eyes. "Jason is on his way to the abandoned city to find him right now, okay? Sans is there helping Sofia bring groceries to Melissa's home, and Jason will get there as fast as he can. He'll be here.", Celeste assured, but Kennedy wasn't too convinced. She growled in anger, glaring at Melissa. " _You...! **Damn you for needing bread!!!**_ ", Kennedy screeched, and Melissa sighed, ignoring Kennedy's anger in favor for getting ready for the baby. 

She knew that Kennedy didn't mean it.

Kennedy cried out as she felt another contraction, and she turned to Chara desperately. "Go... find... your brother...", she huffed, and Chara made for the door. "Alright! I'm on it, Mom!", they exclaimed, but turned to Kennedy in confusion. "Wait- Why am I getting Apollo?", they inquired, and Kennedy growled with pain. "Maybe because I am going to **HAVE A CHILD COMING OUT OF MY _UTERUS_ PRETTY DAMN SOON!!!** ", Kennedy screamed, and Chara ran out the door, pulling out their phone to call Apollo. They loved their mother so much, but...

Best of luck to Melissa and Celeste because Kennedy was _scary_ when she wanted to be.

Apollo smiled at his son. "Vega... guess what I have?", he asked as he held his hands behind his back, and the child, just over one-year-old, looked up at him curiously. "Baflbadle?", Vega babbled, and Apollo smiled. "That's right... it's a new toy!", Apollo pulled out a little, stuffed rabbit from behind his back, and Vega's eyes sparkled with curiosity. Albert gasped. "Aww, it's so cute! It's baby blue, baby pink, and baby yellow! Oh, it has a cute little pink nose and a little tail! Aww, where'd you find it?", Albert inquired, and Apollo smirked. "Where do I find _any_ of the best children's toys?", Apollo asked, and Albert chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "The garbage dump?", he questioned, and Apollo nodded proudly. "Yep! I found Bibi Chara's favorite stuffed animal there, I found a gift for Grandma when she gives birth there, and I found BunBun there!", Apollo grinned, and Albert raised an eyebrow, smiling as he saw Vega reaching for the bunny toy, curiously grasping for its ears.

"'BunBun?' You named it 'BunBun?' Really?", Albert asked, and Apollo rolled his eye. "Oh, hush. It's gender neutral, and I figured that now is about the time when we should start really introducing that to Vega since Bibi Chara isn't exactly an aunt or uncle, y'know? BunBun has all the popular baby colors. Baby pink is typically used for girls, baby blue is typically used for boys, and baby yellow is typically used when parents want to wait until their child is born to know what sex it's gonna be or for parents that call their children "they" until the children decide they are otherwise because it's not really assigned to any specific gender.", Apollo explained, and Albert hummed in thought. "You know, that's actually pretty smart. I like it.", Albert admitted, and Apollo smiled fondly at his husband. "I knew you would, Poppa.", Apollo cooed, and Albert smiled as Apollo used the name that they wanted Vega to call him since Vega was probably going to learn how to talk soon.

Chara was "Bibi Chara." "Bibi" was the gender neutral term for aunt or uncle that they wanted, using the "B" in "Nonbinary."  
Kennedy was "Grandma Kennedy" or just "Grandma."  
Sans was "Grandpa Sans" or just "Grandpa." When Sans had married Kennedy, it was obvious that he didn't see Apollo, Chara, or Margaret as his children as he saw them as friends, but he did accept and love Vega as his grandson, which had made Apollo very happy.  
Skylar was "Auntie Skylar." Skylar had refused to settle for just being called "Aunt Skylar." She wanted the cute version.  
Jake, even though he was dead, was Vega's "Great Uncle Jake." The "Great" was for the fact that Jake was Kennedy's brother and for the fact that Apollo respected the uncle he never met, and wanted Vega to know how amazing Jake was. After all, Vega was named after Jake. Jake's middle name was "Vega."  
Frisk, even though they were dead as well, was Vega's "Great Nini Frisk." "Great" was used for the same reasons as Jake, and "Nini" was another gender neutral term for aunt or uncle, using the "N" in "Nonbinary." Vega was also named after Frisk, as they both had the same middle name. "Pollux."  
Apollo was either "Dad," "Dada," or "Daddy." Any of them worked, but Apollo wanted to be called "Dad."  
Albert was "Pop," "Poppa," or "Poppy." After thinking for a while, Albert decided that if Apollo wanted to be "Dad," then he wanted to be "Pop."

Vega began to whine, and Apollo gasped softly as he realized that Vega wanted the bunny and was getting cranky because he couldn't quite reach it. Apollo handed over the bunny toy, and Vega crooned happily, giggling as he squeezed it before hugging BunBun to his chest tightly and nibbling on the bunny ears as he babbled softly. Apollo and Albert both cooed at the adorable behavior.

Apollo blinked as his phone began to ring, playing a cheerful tune from one of his favorite video games. He knew what that ringtone meant. He answered the phone. "Hey, Bibi Chara, what's up?", he asked, and after Chara replied, he paled. "Wait- WHAT!?", he exclaimed, and Albert hushed him, making sure that Vega wouldn't start crying due to the outburst. Apollo grimaced as he heard a distant scream on Chara's side of the phone call. "Alright, we'll be there soon.", he assured his little sibling, and he hung up. Albert looked at his curiously. "What's wrong?", the scientist asked, and Apollo began to quickly gather up his keys and wallet, as well as whatever Vega might need. "We have to go to the castle right now. Grandma Kennedy went into labor a few days early and has demanded that I be there to help.", Apollo explained quickly, and Albert immediately grabbed his things and began to help pack Vega's things as well. "Okay, but why does Grandma want Dada to help her?", Albert inquired, and Apollo sighed. "Well, as Captain of the Royal Guard, I am professionally trained for a lot of things, just in case someone needs help in just about any emergency situation. That includes childbirth.", Apollo revealed, and Albert blinked in shock. "Really?", he asked, and Apollo nodded. "You're looking at someone who has helped fifteen women give birth since I was eighteen. Being gay really does help assure the parents that I have no interest in looking down there for any reason besides helping.", Apollo admitted, and Albert nodded in understanding, picking Vega up and putting him in his stroller.

Sans used his magic to carry the majority of the groceries he was carrying, and Sofia was doing the same with her own magic. "So, how excited are you to be a father?", Sofia inquired, and Sans sighed. "On a general basis? Nervous.", he replied, but he smiled fondly. "But knowing that I'm having a baby with Kennedy... that makes it a lot easier for me. I love her.", Sans breathed, and Sofia chuckled. "I still don't know how you two waited so long.", she admitted, and Sans blushed a bright, aqua blue. "Sofia, we've been over this...", he reminded, but Sofia smirked at his embarrassment. "What? I mean it! I mean, you two were dating for over two years before you proposed, THEN you got married about one month from your three-year-anniversary! That's three years without sex, Sans! I mean, you were a virgin before Kennedy, right?", Sofia asked, and Sans sighed, knowing that there was no escaping this conversation now. "Yes, Sofia. And she was a virgin before me. We wanted our first time to be special, okay? We found the right person, but we also wanted the right time. Kennedy was a virgin for 2191 years before we consummated our marriage, which was the first time for the both of us.", Sans recalled in a droning tone, having recited this story several times to his friend.

Sofia chuckled. "I know, I just- I don't think I'd be able to wait that long. I mean, what if you two did it and it sucked?", Sofia inquired, and Sans rolled his eye lights. "Well, first off, we don't have anything to compare it to, so we don't know that. Two, we went almost three years without having sex. I think we could have a happy life without it if we are meant to be. We don't need sex. But we have it.", Sans explained, and Sofia sighed. "I guess. But you two were all over each other before you got married. Sometimes, I could have sworn you two would crack and just run off and do it.", Sofia admitted, and Sans smirked. "We're both very determined individuals.", Sans reminded, and Sofia rolled her eyes. "You got that right. Make sure you SAVE once we're done with these groceries just in case you die and we have to do this again.", Sofia encouraged, and Sans laughed as they walked up the stairs into Melissa's home. "I highly doubt that I'm going to die, but sure, Sof'. I'll SAVE.", he assured.

They walked into the kitchen and paused as they heard heavy footsteps rush up the stairs. "He- 'huff' hello...?! Sans...!? Sis... 'puff' Sister...!?", Jason called, and Sofia stiffened. "We're in here, bro!", she called back, and Jason rushed into the kitchen, sweating heavily and breathing raggedly. "Jason, calm down, you look like you're gonna pass out!", Sans exclaimed, but Jason shook his head. "Sent... from... 'huff' Hope... Your... highne... your highne... ugh...!", Jason sat down, breathing deeply. "Jason, what is it?", Sofia urged, and Jason looked into Sans' eye sockets. "Kennedy... in labor! Scary... Needs you... _NOW._ ", Jason huffed, and Sans paled. "What!? But she's not due for three days!", Sans yelled, and Jason glared at him. "Well... the baby... doesn't seem... to know that...! Go, Sans! _GO!!!_ ", Jason shouted, and Sans immediately began to run out of the abandoned city, not even thinking of taking a shortcut in his panic.

Apollo ran into the castle, Albert far behind with Vega in the elevator. Apollo had chosen to run because he was much faster taking the long route than the elevator taking the short one. He ran into the castle living quarters, and Chara gasped upon seeing him. "Finally! Thank the angel! Mom is practically _bloodthirsty!_ I've heard her call for Sans' head at least ten times now!", Chara exclaimed, and Apollo nodded. "It's normal for the mother to be pissed at the father for "doing this to them." Especially if he's MIA. She's in her room, right?", Apollo asked, and before Chara could respond, a blood-curdling scream coming from Kennedy's room answered the question anyway. Apollo ran to his mother's bedroom door and knocked.

Not two seconds later, Celeste answered the door. "Oh, thank the angel! Get in here.", she breathed, pulling Apollo inside and shutting the door. Apollo winced as he saw Kennedy sweating profusely and breathing heavily. She didn't look pale, which was a good sign. That meant she was healthy. Apollo didn't expect much less, considering that Kennedy had so much HP. It would hurt, but Kennedy could easily soak up any damage she was taking right now. Apollo ran over to his mother's bedside, and she glared at him. "What... took you _SO LONG!?!_ ", she screamed, and Apollo sighed as he washed his hands in a nearby bowl of water and pulled on some gloves. "Sorry, Mom, had to grab Vega's things.", Apollo explained curtly, and Kennedy sighed. "Ugh...! Alright, that is a reasonable excuse...! But... that _damn SKELETON BETTER HAVE AN EVEN BETTER EXCUSE **SO THAT I DO NOT KICK HIS TAILBONE SO HARD THAT IT COMES OUT OF HIS EYE SOCKET!!!**_ ", Kennedy screeched, and Apollo grimaced. "He'll be here soon, Mom. Don't worry. But my baby sibling is almost ready to get moving, so let's get to work.", Apollo urged, and Kennedy nodded as Apollo moved over to the business end. 

This was going to be tricky.

Sans was sweating profusely as he ran through MarshLily. There were several thoughts rushing through his head, and he could barely keep track of any of them.

What if there's a miscarriage?  
What if Kennedy dies during childbirth?  
What if there's something wrong with the baby?  
What if he wasn't a good father?  
What if he doesn't make it in time? Will Kennedy ever forgive him for missing the birth of their child?  
What if he does make it in time and Kennedy got pissy at him for being missing?

Sans shook his skull. No, he had to stay positive. He had to think of something else.

Is the baby going to be a boy or a girl?  
There, that's a better question.

Considering the unique couple that Sans and Kennedy were, the species and sex of their child were unknown, as the doctors couldn't determine it throughout the nine months that Kennedy was pregnant.

It could be either a monster or a human, but they couldn't tell during the scans, considering that if it was a skeleton monster, it would still show a skeleton if it was a human. Because humans also have skeletons inside them. The only way to tell would be to look at the infant's developing soul, but due to Kennedy's extreme levels of magic and determination she had in her body, the doctors were unable to make out what species of a soul the child had. They could tell one thing about the child's soul, however.

Its main soul trait was DETERMINATION.  
The doctors saw an intense amount of concentrated amounts of determination in Kennedy's womb. It could be a human child with intense amounts of determination like Apollo, or a monster with determination as their main soul trait, just like Sans.

They also couldn't tell the sex of the infant either due to a few factors. One, Kennedy's high magic levels made it very difficult to view the infant, and it only got harder as the pregnancy went on due to most of Kennedy's magic focusing on the child to help it develop. Two, Sans was a skeleton, which was an undead species of monster. He had no physical... _parts_ unless he used ghost construct to make them. That's how all skeleton monsters worked. They were sexless until the child themselves decided what they preferred to be. Which was why skeletons had font types. 

Skeleton fonts are indistinguishable to all other species except for other skeletons. To others, they speak typically in the language they are surrounded by. To skeletons, each font is a different language that is easily distinguishable from the others, even from birth. The baby bones' first cries will be in their font type, and they are named after it.

Sans' font was the infamous Comic Sans MS, which was technically his full name. Well, almost. Since he married Kennedy, he was Comic Sans MS-Simmons. But since he legally signed everything as "Sans the Skeleton" before marrying Kennedy, his legal name was "Sans Simmons." Monsters typically didn't have last names, but humans did.  
Papyrus, Sans' younger brother, had a font type as well. "Papyrus." Pretty simple.  
Sans' father was named after his typeface of "WingDings." His father's full name was "WingDings Gaster" because most people couldn't read WingDings, so he wrote in "Aster," which is another typeface that wasn't made of symbols.  
Sans' mother was named "Rock Salt," after her own font type.  
Papyrus got his loud and large font type from their mother, and Sans got his "sans" font type from their grandfather, "Duru Sans."  
Well, at least Sans could always speak in his parents' fonts. It was always tradition to learn how to speak in your family's typefaces.  
Speaking in WingDings creeped Kennedy out a bit, but Sans always spoke in WingDings on his father's birthday.  
He also always had a "Gaster Blaster" follow him around on his father's birthday.

Sans sighed. He missed both of his parents dearly, as did Papyrus, but they were together now. Where ever they were.  
Papyrus got his loud and large font type from their mother, and Sans got his "sans" font type from their grandfather, "Duru Sans."  
Well, at least Sans could always speak in his parents' fonts. It was always tradition to learn how to speak in your family's typefaces.  
Speaking in WingDings creeped Kennedy out a bit, but Sans always spoke in WingDings on his father's birthday.  
He also always had a "Gaster Blaster" follow him around on his father's birthday.

Sans briefly wondered what his child's typeface would be and if they would be able to summon their own Gaster Blasters.

He gasped as he nearly ran into the elevator door in HotLine. He hadn't realized how fast he had been going. He quickly hopped in and opened a keypad next to the door and typed a code into it before sliding a keycard into the slot underneath it. A little light on the keypad turned green.  
"Hello, and welcome, Your Highness King Sans Simmons. Please enter the code for where in the Underground you would like to travel to.", the voice said over the speaker.  
As royalty, Sans got a keycard to the elevators. It was pretty sweet.  
He typed in another code, and the light blinked twice.  
"Thank you for selecting "Hope." Enjoy the ride, Your Highness."  
Sans took a deep breath. He was almost there.

Apollo wiped the sweat off of his forehead, turning to Melissa. "She's dilated ten centimeters. The kid isn't going to wait any longer.", he sighed, and Kenedy whined in pain as she felt another contraction. "But- But... _he is not here yet!_ ", she exclaimed, and Apollo frowned as he looked into his mother's eyes with his own single, green orb. "I'm sorry, Mom, but it looks like the baby is ready to come out, and we can't tell them to wait for him. They're on their way.", he stated, and Kennedy nodded, praying that Sans would show up in time to see his child being born.

Chara took deep breaths, pacing in the entrance to the castle home. Albert was sitting nearby on a chair between the railing on the stairs and the door to the living room, entertaining Vega with his new toy. "Chara, please calm down. Sans will make it. You know how determined he is. He wouldn't miss this for the sun's rays. He'll get here.", Albert assured, and Chara whined nervously. "Buy what if he doesn't! He's a monster, not a miracle worker! He was in the abandoned city! You heard Jason on the phone! Jason barely made it to him in twenty-seven minutes! I timed him! The baby is already leaving the station and Sans _isn't here!_ ", Chara whimpered, silently wishing they had Asriel here to calm them down. He was one of the only people that could do that easily. The other two were in Kennedy's bedroom. One was giving birth to a baby, and the other was delivering the baby.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, a very sweaty and determined skeleton in its wake. Chara gasped, grabbing Sans and picking him up. Due to the growth spurts they had been through since the barrier had broken, they were taller than him. "Oh, thank the angel! Come on, the baby is coming!", Chara dragged Sans to Kennedy's room and opened the door.

Sans needed no more assistance to rush over to Kennedy's bedside, where he quickly put his arm around her shoulders. Apollo smiled but didn't lose focus. "Good timing, Sans, because they're on the way. Chara, I'm gonna need a warm, wet washcloth. This is gonna be messy.", Apollo huffed, and Chara nodded, following their brother's orders.

Kennedy cracked open her eyes, looking in Sans' direction, but her gaze wasn't focused on him as she breathed through her pain. "Sans...! Is... that... you...!?", she cried, and Sans quickly took her hand in his free one. "Yes! Yes, I'm here, Kennedy! It's okay! I'm here!", he assured, and Kennedy smiled, closing her eyes for a moment as she grunted through another contraction. "Oh, thank goodness...", she breathed, and after another contraction, Sans winced as Kennedy began to crush his bony hand in her grasp. She glared into his eye sockets, eyes glowing brightly with as many soul-based powers as she had the ability to use with her absolute burning anger, sending several spells through Sans' bones, casting several spells onto his soul.

His magic was disabled and enabled several times as her eyes glowed a bright, determination red.  
He took damage from his lack of motion as her eyes glowed a bright orange hue.  
He took damage from his jolts of pain and movement as her eyes shown with an aqua light.  
His soul felt heavy as her eyes glowed a deep, mystic blue.  
He couldn't let go of Kennedy at all as her eyes glowed a fierce purple.  
His feet were frozen in place as her eyes flashed with an aggressive green.

When the spells stopped, all that Sans could see in Kennedy's sparkling blue eyes was _**rage.**_

" _ **WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?!?! SO HELP ME, I WILL BREAK YOUR RIBS WITH THAT DAMN BREAST PUMP!!!**_ ", Kennedy howled, and Sans gulped as his eye sockets emptied out, leaving dark voids.  
Kennedy was breaking his hand.  
"I'm sorry-! Got here... as fast... as... I COUL-AAAAAHHHH- APOLLO GET THIS THING OUT OF HER!!! SHE'S BREAKING MY HAND!!!", Sans yelled, and Apollo winced as he heard a harsh 'SNAP' from Sans' direction and another yell from him. "Alright, here they come! Push, Mom! PUSH!!!", Apollo urged, and Kennedy lurched forward, crying out in pain as she listened to her son. Sans hit the floor as Kennedy released his hand in favor for grabbing a sturdy broomstick that Chara had brought.  
"Alright, I can see them coming! We're getting closer! Push!", Apollo repeated, and Kennedy followed his orders. 'SNAP'  
The broomstick snapped into four pieces as Kennedy's fists squeezed through it easily, and she tossed the splinters she had in her hands aside. Sans pulled himself over to Apollo as Chara bandaged his hand, attempting to heal the broken bones.

Sans gasped as he saw what was happening. "I did not know that... could get that wide. I have a newfound respect for women. Which is impressive, because I respected them plenty anyway.", he admitted, and Apollo scoffed. "Oh, here they come! Keep pushing!", Apollo urged, and Sans held Kennedy's hand with his free hand as she pushed, though he didn't let her hold his hand. Sans gasped. "We have a head with some hair! They have some fluff! Oh, a lot of hair actually... Yikes. Mom, they have your hair color!", Apollo declared, and Kennedy huffed, glaring at her son. "Oh, yes! That is what I am concerned about right now! _The color of my child's hair!_ ", Kennedy hissed, her voice pouring with sarcasm. Apollo winced. "Sorry, Mom! Alright, keep pushing!", Apollo yelled, and Kennedy did as told.

"We have a head!", Apollo declared, and Sans grinned widely. "Yes, they have a head!", he cheered, and Kennedy continued to push. Apollo smiled as his little sibling came into the world. "Alright, here come the shoulders, the arms, the waist- oh- it's a girl! It's a girl!", Apollo declared, and both Kennedy and Sans felt those words hit them, but they weren't done yet. "Alright, just one more push! And here are the legs-", Apollo froze, and Kennedy finally relaxed. Apollo looked up at the new parents. "She's here.", Apollo whispered, and Chara immediately handed Apollo the clamps for the umbilical cord. Apollo set the clamps down, it wasn't time to use them yet.

"Alright, Mom. She's a little messy, but this nasty stuff is what's gonna protect her against infection.", Apollo explained in a hushed tone, and he gently wrapped the newborn in a soft blanket and handed her to Kennedy. "Alright, you're gonna have to push out the placenta, and we'll cut the cord in an hour or so. Use some healing magic on her to get her used to your aura.", Apollo directed, and Kennedy held the infant close to her chest as her hands glowed with a green light. She chuckled softly as the baby began to whimper. "Shh... it is okay, my child... everything is okay...", Kennedy cooed, and the newborn calmed down as she heard her mother's voice.

Kennedy turned to Sans. "She has your complexion.", she giggled, and Sans grinned. The baby had skin, but it was a bony, pale gray. He smiled. "She's a monster... But I don't think she's a skeleton...", Sans pointed out, and Kennedy raised an eyebrow. "Well, I do not know what she is if she is not a skeleton. So, in my eyes, she is a skeleton.", Kennedy sighed as she examined her daughter's long, brown hair. "She really _does_ have my hair...", Kennedy breathed, and she gasped as the child began to whine. 

Sans gasped as the child began to cry, and her font rang clearly in his skull.

"Bubblegum Sans...", the father breathed, and Kennedy looked at him in confusion. "What? Sans, are you okay?", Apollo inquired, and Sans nodded, tears flowing from his eyes sockets. "Skeletons...'sniff' are named after typefaces... I'm named after Comic Sans MS, my brother is named after Papyrus, so on and so forth... it's the font we speak in... it's only noticeable to skeletons, but... it's how we're named. The baby's font is a sans font... just... just like _mine!_ ", Sans cried as he smiled at the infant. Kennedy smiled. "Ah, yes, you told me about this. So, I am assuming her font is "Bubblegum Sans," is it not?", Kennedy asked, and Sans nodded. Kennedy smiled. "Well, then I guess that Bubblegum is going to be the sweetest name in the Simmons family.", Kennedy crooned, and Sans smiled at her gratefully. Kennedy giggled as she rocked Bubblegum in her arms. "Sans, do you honestly believe that I would not respect that strong of a tradition?", she cooed, and Sans sighed happily. "I guess not. But you know me... I'm a dad...", Sans cried again as he hugged Kennedy tightly, and they both bonded with their newborn as Chara and Melissa gently evaluated her, being careful not to disturb the new family.

Hours later, in the middle of the night, Bubblegum Sans Simmons was sleeping peacefully in her crib.

She felt a flicker of warmth in her chest as her soul recognized what it was. She was the child of the two most determined creatures on earth. She didn't realize it. But...  
She was filled with DETERMINATION.

Far, far away, two extinguished stars felt the strong determination in the newborn. They were subconsciously drawn to it, but they didn't know why.  
This feeling... this need... this was familiar to one of the darkened stars, but brand new to the other.  
They wanted to be with what they saw as warmth and light.  
This light felt familiar, almost like an old friend, and yet like a new presence.  
Awoken from their deathly slumber, they grew closer to the light, regaining their thoughts and consciouses.

"What's happening?" "What is that?" "Where am I?" "What am I?"  
These questions, along with a few others, danced across their minds.

They grew ever closer to the light, which we know as Bubblegum's soul and determination.

The two spirits reached out to the light and grabbed it.  
They woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to add a piece of trivia at the end of these short stories from now on!  
> The first piece of trivia is this...  
> Albert has a Ph.D., which is in Soul and Determination Sciences.  
> He proved that soul power and determination can be used as a power source, making electricity!  
> Using this, he invented the current state-of-the-art defibrillator!  
> Instead of being externally powered (which may be unreliable) the defibrillator can simply take the soul power from the soul of the human (because of their soul isn't dead, they are still alive! Soul-dead=being dust) and use that to power itself and help restart the human's heart!  
> Every public building is required by law to carry one of these.
> 
> This is also why Celeste doesn't need to recharge. The only reason her batteries died during her fight was because her body wasn't complete and that she still had her... extra features in her that were actually made for monster-killing. Nowadays, she is entirely powered by her own soul!


	16. LOSTDT!TALE HAS A TUMBLR!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://lostdeterminationtale.tumblr.com/  
> I will be much more likely to post things about my AU here, as I can access it easily from Tumblr Mobile since Ao3 logs me out on my phone quite often.  
> I will be able to post artworks, headcanons, AU ideas, fun facts, and much more on there so I don't have to write a short story for each one.

The Tumblr page includes;  
-Jake's secret affair and lover, Adonias!  
\--Seriously, he's a cutie.  
-Kennedy and Jake being happy together because I got a little sick of writing everyone being unhappy!  
-Periods of time where you can ask my characters questions!  
-Sketches and mini AUs for my characters!  
-Drawings of my characters!  
-Send me headcanons!  
-An AU that not only keeps everyone alive, but separates this AU from Undertale and makes it something all on its own! (with some name changes and character changes)  
-More fluffy relationships!!!  
-Regular updates!  
-Chara's Shenanigans!  
-And a lot more!

So if you can, follow the blog and interact! This way, not only will you get to know my characters on a more personal level, but you get to know me better as well! I hope you can come, because it's gonna be great!


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